A collaboration meeting between the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the World Bank (WB) was conducted at the NCIP Central Office, Quezon City on 04 April 2023.
The meeting aimed to discuss on going collaborative projects between NCIP and the WB benefiting Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), funded through various WB facilities.
Present for NCIP were Chairperson Allen A. Capuyan, OIC-Executive Director Attorney Cesar M. Ortega; Bureau Directors; Division Chiefs; and, joining via Zoom were Ethnographic Commissioners, Regional Directors, Provincial Officers, and Community Service Center Heads.
While for the WB, the attendees were Global Director for Social Sustainability and Inclusion Ms. Louise Cord; Operations Manager for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand Mr. Achim Fock; Senior Social Development Specialist Mr. Carlos Perez-Brito; Practice Manager Mr. Janmejay Singh; Sector Lead for Social Development Ms. Madhu Raghunath; Social Safeguards Specialist Ms. Mayumi Pimentel; Data Analytics Specialist Melchor Jacinto; World Bank Consultant Atty. Norberto Navarro; and, Senior Land Administration Specialist Ms. Sarah Antos.
Atty. Ortega formally welcomed representatives from the WB; he also provided updates on the past and current WB projects with the NCIP.
As a response, Ms. Cord, expressed her appreciation for the continued NCIP-WB engagements and proposed for further collaboration on programs that will benefit ICCs/IPs. She highlighted WBs development framework as points of further partnerships – these are on social sustainability; social cohesion; resilience; and process legitimacy. She also underscored the need for continuous capacity development to improve absorptive capacities to efficiently implement programs.
Chairperson Capuyan emphasized that such development framework is embedded on NCIPs 11 Building Blocks (BBs) of a Resilient, Responsive, and Relevant ICCs/IPs in their Ancestral Domain. He cited that having the 11 BBs operationalized results to more sustainable ICCs/IPs – allowing for proper decision making within ICCs/IPs.
During the discussions, resolutions to improve collaborative projects was also determined to further target specific needs and demands on ICCs/IPs ensuring greater impact of development projects.
The WB also presented the Social Data Information Platform Project emphasizing the importance of data governance to enhance service delivery and stakeholder engagement to improve policy making and program implementation.
To cap the meeting, copies of the Project Epanaw Coffee Table books were given to the WB.
