GIZ supports DILG’s Local Governance Summit 2024

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) conducted the Local Governance Summit 2024 with the theme "LGUs sa Bagong Pilipinas: Smart. Resilient. Driven," August 22-23 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

The event was supported by GIZ through its Project "Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low-Carbon & Resilient Cities (Urban-Act)" The distinguished guests were H.E. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr., DILG Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., and German Ambassador to the Philippines Dr. Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke.

"This is a great opportunity for local leaders to come together, to get together, and to discuss important matters and policies that are needed to optimise public service to the Filipino people,” said Dr. Pfaffernoschke as he commended DILG for putting LGUs at the forefront of the summit. He emphasized DILG as a key and highly valued partner of GIZ in projects such as Urban-Act and Promotion of the Rule of Law in Mindanao (ROLMIN). He also highlighted the celebration of Germany and the Philippines’ 70 years of diplomatic relations, noting the countries’ strong development cooperation.

President Marcos underscored the agenda for a smart, resilient, and driven governance: “This is the moment to rise as effective stewards of your respective locality, to drive progress in your communities, to nurture a culture of collaboration amongst concerned stakeholders.” Together with the international community, he is confident that the implementation of the Mandanas Ruling provides LGUs with greater capability to implement and localise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which the LG Summit aims to enhance.

During the session on "Smart Infrastructure and Design in the Built Environment," national government agencies engaged LGUs on their current initiatives, while LGUs shared insights and perspectives on strengthening their resiliency and exploring innovative strategies and opportunities on urban planning and design. Led by the DILG-Office of Project Development Services, the session was supported by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), GIZ, and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

DILG Assistant Secretary Francisco Cruz opened the session with the call for smart and resilient infrastructure that encompasses the diverse needs of communities. Not limited to roads and transport, he called for the needs of schools, hospitals, government, and community facilities to be better equipped in handling challenges in the future, further strengthening livable communities. Bacolod, an Urban-Act pilot city, shared their experience on horizontal coordination to plan and program for urban climate action, in the sectors of transport, waste, energy, and urban green spaces during the technical session.