21/08/2026
Putting children at the centre of public finance means putting their futures first.
Through the EU-UNICEF Public Finance Facility, the Department of Budget and Management, European Union in the Philippines, and UNICEF Philippines brought together countries across Asia to exchange reforms and innovations that strengthen child-responsive public finance systems.
From child budget tagging and expenditure tracking to evidence-based planning and open budgeting, the ๐ต๐ญ is advancing practical approaches that help ensure public resources reach the services children need most. By strengthening transparency, accountability, and the effective use of public funds, these efforts help make every peso count for every child.
UNICEF Asia Pacific
Read more here: https://www.unicef.org/philippines/press-releases/philippines-leads-regional-push-stronger-public-finance-systems-children
๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฝ๐๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป
๐๐๐, ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐๐ด๐ช๐ข๐ฏ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ท๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ต๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ด๐ฐ๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ง๐ช๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด
The Philippines is strengthening its role in advancing child-responsive public finance in the region, bringing together eight South and Southeast Asian countries to exchange reforms and practical solutions aimed at ensuring that limited public resources deliver better outcomes for children.
Through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and with support from the European Union (EU) and UNICEF, the Philippines hosted the South-South Exchange from 18 to 20 August, focusing on how governments can protect critical social investments and make public spending more efficient, transparent, and resilient amid mounting economic, fiscal, and climate challenges.
Held under the EU-UNICEF Public Finance Facility in South and Southeast Asia, the three-day exchange gathered representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
Discussions centered on a common challenge confronting governments across the region: how to protect investments in children even when fiscal space is tight.
Participating countries shared approaches to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of social sector spending, protecting essential programs during periods of fiscal constraint, and strengthening the ability of public finance systems to withstand economic and climate shocks.
They also exchanged experiences on practical tools such as budget tagging, expenditure tracking, evidence-based planning, and the Social Sector Dashboard Budget Tracker. These mechanisms allow governments to better determine whether public resources are reaching critical servicesโincluding quality education, health and nutrition, child protection, and social protection programsโand whether these investments are translating into better outcomes for children and families.
The exchange comes at an important juncture for the Philippines as the country transitions toward upper-middle-income status, underscoring the need to translate economic gains into stronger institutions and more resilient social systems.
โThe conversations over the past three days reaffirmed our resolve to invest in systems that protect childrenโs rights and ensure that all children, especially the most vulnerable, enjoy better outcomes. As the Philippines continues its transition to upper-middle-income status, this partnership helps ensure that economic progress is matched by stronger public finance systems so that every investment brings us closer to better, more equitable outcomes for children,โ said Kyungsun Kim, UNICEF Philippines Representative.
For DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon, stronger public financial management is ultimately about ensuring that government investments create lasting improvements in peopleโs livesโparticularly for children.
โSpending for our children should never be seen merely as a cost. When we invest in a child, the return is measured not only in pesos or percentages, but in healthier lives, better opportunities, stronger communities, and ultimately, stronger nations. Here in the Philippines, this principle continues to guide how we strengthen our public financial management system. Our commitment to children is firmly anchored in their rights and welfare,โ said Acting Secretary De Leon.
The South-South Exchange serves as the flagship knowledge-sharing platform of the EU-UNICEF Public Finance Facility, enabling governments across South and Southeast Asia to learn directly from one another and advance reforms that strengthen the planning, allocation, tracking, and use of public resources for children.
The 2026 exchange concluded with participating countries identifying key lessons and reaffirming a shared commitment to sustain reforms that make public finance systems more responsive, accountable, and focused on results.
โThe European Unionโs partnership with UNICEF through the Public Finance Facility reflects the broader ambitions of the Global Gateway Strategy. Global gateway is the European Unionโs strategy to engage with partner countries. It is often associated with investments in connectivity and infrastructure, but it is equally about investing in the foundations of sustainable development: strong institutions, good governance and human capitalโ, said Frederic Grillet, Chargรฉ dโAffaires of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines.
Since its launch in 2019, the EU-UNICEF Public Finance Facility, with EUR 3M contribution, has supported governments across the region in strengthening public financial management systems that benefit children.
Through technical assistance, knowledge sharing, and policy engagement, the Facility helps governments analyze how public funds are allocated and spent, generate evidence for better policy and budget decisions, and strengthen transparency and accountability in public spending for children.
