Development assistance in the Philippines
To boost inclusive and sustainable economic growth, Australia will increase our support for Philippine Government-led economic reforms, promote private sector growth, foster women's economic empowerment, and continue to invest in human capital and skills development. We will work in partnership towards the following outcomes:
- Targeted economic institutions are more accountable and effective as a result of economic reforms;
- Ease of doing business is improved and barriers to trade and investment are reduced;
- Women's economic empowerment is supported through a more gender-sensitive business enabling and policy environment; and
- Human capital accumulation and skills development are improved.
For the Philippines to achieve its ambitions for sustainable economic growth, well-implemented economic reforms, stronger institutions and robust public financial management will be crucial. Australia will increase our support for upstream economic reforms that strengthen economic management and the accountability of institutions. Building on our existing work, we will partner with the Philippine Government in key sectors including infrastructure, renewable energy, resources, telecommunications and digitalisation. We will also continue our science-based research partnership to strengthen agrifood systems.
Australia will increase our support for the Philippine Government to unlock the private sector's potential contribution to economic growth, including by increasing competition, reducing barriers to trade and investment, and reducing the cost of doing business.
Australia's Invested: Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 and work undertaken by Austrade will complement our development programming through non-ODA efforts; with stronger economic reforms, Australian businesses and investors will be encouraged to enter the Philippine market.
For the Philippines to meet its development potential, women's economic empowerment will be critical. Australia will continue to take a twin-track approach by mainstreaming women's economic empowerment, while also investing in standalone activities. We will promote women's economic empowerment through workplace gender equality and policy reform, more equitable gender norms, and accelerating women's entrepreneurship and access to finance.
Australia will continue to support human capital and skills development in the Philippines. Building on our longstanding education partnerships, Australia's education and skills development assistance will increasingly focus on building skills pathways in secondary education. We will also increase institutional and technical exchanges to facilitate stronger linkages between Australian and Philippine education systems.
Advancing Multilateral Partnerships for Economic Development program (AMPED)
$42.3 million (2018-29)
Advancing Multilateral Partnerships for Economic Development (AMPED) supports inclusive economic growth by working with key multilateral financial institutions (MFIs) to strengthen the Philippine Government's economic management capacity. AMPED is a catalytic investment designed to leverage substantially larger MFI resources to positively influence Philippine Government development policies.
Related documents
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Australia-World Bank Growth and Prosperity in the Philippines (AGaP) Trust Fund Independent Midterm Review | 2023 | Program evaluation |
| Australia - World Bank Philippines Development Trust Fund: Evaluation Report | 2018 | Program evaluation |
Promoting Growth, Resilience, Economic Stability and Sustainability in the Philippines (PROGRESS-PH)
Under design – expected to commence in 2025
PROGRESS seeks to contribute to inclusive, resilient and sustainable economic growth in the Philippines. It will facilitate critical economic reforms and sustainable private sector development as well as improve the business enabling environment and market competitiveness.
Investing in Women (IW)
$13 million in the Philippines (2024-27)
Investing in Women (IW) is a multi-country initiative in Southeast Asia that seeks to accelerate women's economic empowerment through increased and equitable opportunities in the private sector, contributing to inclusive, sustainable economic recovery and growth in targeted countries.
Building on the lessons of the first seven years of the program (2016-2023; $102 million), IW works with business leaders, investors, and policymakers to remove barriers to women's full economic participation in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and (in a limited way) Myanmar. IW's efforts focus on women in the formal sector and small-to-medium-sized business owners, recognising them as crucial drivers of progress on gender equality that can stimulate broader change. The program's workstreams include:
- Workplace Gender Equality: supporting businesses shift workplace cultures, practices, and policy to achieve workplace gender equality.
- Enabling Policy Reform: working with credible local institutions to strengthen the evidence base and drive collective action needed to influence and inform policy reform that supports women's equal economic participation, particularly related to the care economy.
- Campaigns and Communities of Practice: supporting locally driven campaigns that positively shift gender norms amongst women and men that inhibit women's economic participation. Working with a community of advocates, IW will build evidence and networks that support the broader adoption of more gender-equal attitudes and behaviours.
- Gender Lens Investing: working to increase investment in businesses that disproportionately benefit women by partnering with capital providers on Gender Lens Investing strategies and products.
Relevant link
Coalitions for Change (CfC)
$35 million (2024-2030)
Coalitions for Change (CfC) collaborates with Philippine partners and organisations who advocate for policy reforms that aim to strengthen institutions and promote effective and inclusive governance in the areas of economic and social development, gender, climate and environment, and stability. CfC supports local leaders from government, civil society, academia and the private sector in pursuing technically sound and politically possible reforms. CfC builds on the gains and lessons from Phase 1 under the Australia-TAF Partnership in the Philippines ($42 million, 2011-18) and Phase 2 ($23.5 million, 2018-2024).
Related document
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| CfC Program Phase 2 Independent Progress Review | 2021 | Program evaluation |
Relevant link
The Asia Foundation - Coalitions for Change
Education Quality for Inclusive Prosperity (EQUIP)
Under design – expected to commence in 2025
EQUIP will support the Philippine Government's efforts to enhance the secondary school education system, to ensure students are prepared for future study or employment pathways.
While the program is being designed, a set of interim activities is currently laying the groundwork for EQUIP. This includes activities to support the rollout of the updated Kinder to Grade 10 curriculum, a review of the senior high school curriculum, and activities to promote industry-government collaboration on workforce development.
Philippines-Australia Scholarships and Alumni Program
$31 million (2017-25)
Our scholarships program supports the Philippines to achieve its development goals and have a positive relationship with Australia. The program builds capability in key Philippine Government organisations and sectors through short-term training and long-term scholarships for post-graduate study in Australia, through the Australia Awards Scholarships. This support helps agencies and private businesses become more efficient and effective by having access to a more skilled workforce. It also helps forge enduring institutional and people-to-people links between Australia and the Philippines.
Relevant link
Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program Philippines
Research for Inclusive Development Initiative (RIDI)
$6.9 million (2018-26)
The Research for Inclusive Development Initiative (RIDI) program aims to contribute to inclusive growth in the Philippines by supporting the availability and use of high-quality evidence in policy making, development planning, and program implementation, as well as strengthening of policy eco-systems through analytical support, technical assistance, and creating institutional linkages.
Research is led by local experts in partnership with key Philippines and international organisations, including the Stratbase ADR Institute for Strategic and International Studies ADRi) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
Related document
| Name of document | Year published | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Research for Inclusive Development Initiative (RIDI) Independent Strategic Review and Management response | 2023 | Program evaluation |
Australian National University (ANU) Philippines Institute
$2.5 million (2023-27)
The ANU Philippines Institute aims to foster deeper bilateral ties between Australia and the Philippines through stronger institutional and people-to-people links, and support Philippine policymaking and reform in critical areas informed by relevant, high-quality policy research and analysis. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is partnering with the ANU to support this initiative.
The Philippines Institute is taking forward research in key priority areas including strategic studies and foreign policy; economic resilience; gender, women's empowerment and peace; the ongoing pursuit of peace, development and political stability in Mindanao; other threats to stability such as climate change, food insecurity and the energy crisis; rule of law, human rights and judicial governance; and governance, politics and political communications.