PH leads regional push for stronger public finance systems for children
The Philippines hosted a regional exchange with seven other Asian nations to discuss improving public finance systems for child-focused social investments. The initiative, supported by the EU and UNICEF, aims to ensure fiscal transparency and resilience in social spending.
Why it matters
Strengthening public financial management is essential for developing nations to ensure that economic growth translates into tangible improvements in child welfare and social services.
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 United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the Philippines hosted the South-South Exchange from Aug. 18 to 20, 2026, 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 VietnamThe exchange comes at an important juncture for the Philippines as the country transitions…
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