Country information:

The Philippine archipelago is composed of over 7,000 islands lying about 500 miles (805 km) off the southeast coast of Asia. The islands are of volcanic origin, with the larger ones crossed by mountain ranges.

Nature and resources:

The Philippines is rich with reserves of chromite, nickel, iron and copper.  In the area of energy production, the country has substantial geothermal, hydro, coal, marine currents and biomass resources. The country is presently the 3rd largest producer of biomass in the world after the United States of America (USA) and Brazil, according to the Rent 21 report. It has also been named the second largest producer of geothermal energy after USA.

Agriculture, fisheries and forestry are the country’s major sectors that collectively employ more than 12 million Filipinos (2008 Statistics Data). Its leading industries include electronics assembly, garments footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing and petroleum refining.

Its people:

Poverty in the Philippines persists largely due to (1) the lack of energy efficiency systems; (2) the low-value addition on agriculture, fisheries and forestry products; and, (3) the disasters caused by human-induced environmental degradation.  The vast land and labor resources, especially in the rural areas, remain to be under-utilized. The country needs assistance in realizing the emergence and growth of its micro-, small- and medium-scale enterprises.  The major issues that confront the country’s local industries include the lack of market opportunities for their products and the lack of investments that ought to optimize the country’s resources and generate economic activities.

UNIDO in the Philippines:

UNIDO’s projects in the Philippines to-date have been making significant contributions to the country’s industrial development.  In 2009, UNIDO co-organized the International Conference on Green Industry Asia. The Organization currently implements various programs that are responsive to the needs of Philippine industries. In particular, UNIDO has lent its technical expertise in helping industries eliminate unintentionally produced Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), produce renewable energy, install energy efficiency systems and achieve agro-industrial competitiveness.