EARTH SUMMIT+5 Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise the Implementation of Agenda 21 New York, 23-27 June 1997 SUCCESS STORIES FROM THE PHILIPPINES

	The Philippines Council for Sustainable Development
	Location	The Philippines
	Responsible organization(s)	The Philippines Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)
	Description	Established in 1992, the PCSD's task is primarily to review and ensure the implementation of the Philippines commitments made during UNCED and to provide guidance for policy reforms, programmes and new legislation to address continuing and emerging issues on environment and sustainable development. The Council believes that success in the area of sustainable development lies in full cooperation of the various stakeholders in the process. Hence, PCSD has a multi stakeholder structure, a body composed of representatives form government agencies, non-governmental organizations and peoples' organizations (NGOs/POs). NGO/PO representatives in the Council are selected through a process designed and implemented by them. It is one of the few government bodies that has adopted the principles of counterparting and consensus-building in the implementation of its mandate. The PCSD's decision making process requires a consensus among its members. The nationwide consultation process undertaken on the Philippine Agenda 21, the country's blueprint for sustainable development, involved a series of multilevel, multi sectoral reviews and workshops. It started first at the local level to identifying common problems and approaches in resolving them and seeking for consensus on a sustainable development vision and framework. Parallel consultations were hold by non-governmental organizations, business, youth, health, labour, urban poor and other sectors. The output was a draft which was further enhanced by feedback consultations/reviews involving all previous and interested participants nationwide. The consultation process generated a ripple effect which served as a potent advocacy mechanism, leading some local government units to set up their local CSDs.
	Issues addressed	National implementation.
	Objectives	Ensure that all major stakeholder participate and contribute in the Philippine Agenda 21 (PA21) implementation.
	Results achieved	National sustainable development action agenda with a perspective and framework that places people and nature at the centre of development initiatives. Since it builds on the existing and on-going initiatives, PA21 serves as the country's mechanism for paradigm shift in the pursuit of a better quality of life for the Philippine people.
	Lessons learned	The formulation of PA21 was subject to a number of regional, multi sectoral consultations, dialogues and confidence-building meetings which facilitated consensus between the government and the NGOs as well as an understanding of each sector's concerns that lead to a common ground for development. Many indigenous cultural groups had already been observing sustainable practices and principles as evident in their traditions, beliefs and way of life. The PCSD will continue to practice consensus building and multistakeholdership as new challenges and opportunities emerge.
	Contact	The Philippines Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) Coordinating Secretariat c/o Agriculture Staff, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Amber Avenue, Pasig City, Metro Manila 1600, the Philippines Tel. 631-3745; 631-3714; Fax: (632) 633-6015; E-mail: neda@gaia.pcdn.org NGO/PA Counterpart Secretariat c/o Philippine Institute of Alternative Futures, 3/F, Liberty Building, Pasai Road, Makati 1200, the Philippines Tel. (632) 813-87-34; 892-43-64; Fax: (632) 813-12-80