STRENGTHENING THE PHILIPPINE COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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WHEREAS, the 1987 Constitution mandates
as a policy of the State the protection and advancement of the right of the
people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accordance with the rhythm and
harmony of nature;

WHEREAS, the Philippines formally adopted
sustainable development as a guiding principle in development efforts through
the adoption of a national conservation strategy for sustainable development
which was presented by the country during the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro;

WHEREAS, the UNCED adopted a resolution
for the creation of a Sustainable Development Commission that will evaluate and
monitor adherence to the agreements and commitments made in Rio and urged
governments to form similar bodies that will ensure that activities at the
national level are implemented and coordinated with global efforts;

WHEREAS, the creation of the Philippine
Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) on 01 September 1992, by virtue of
Executive Order No. 15, is a manifestation of the country’s adherence to the
principles set forth in Rio and ensures that these commitments are implemented,
periodically monitored and coordinated;

WHEREAS, the PCSD, through effective
collaborative efforts with civil society and financial support from the United
Nations Development Programme – Capacity 21 facility, initiated the formulation
of the Philippine Agenda (PA) 21, a consensus document which is envisioned to
guide the sustainable development path of the country;

WHEREAS, the PA 21, which is built upon
the principles of subsidiary (self-governance), consensus building, open access
and multi-stakeholdership, embodies the common resolve of government, business
and the civil society to operationalize the sustainable development vision;

WHEREAS, the operationalization of the PA
21 requires the integration of the various overarching dimensions and
components of sustainable development and the need for participation of
government, business and civil society;

WHEREAS, it is necessary to strengthen
the Philippine Council for Sustainable Development to institutionalize the
support of other key sectors of the society and to further enhance its ability
to coordinate planning and policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation in the
pursuit of sustainable development;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS,
President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do
hereby order:

SECTION 1. Strengthening the PCSD. The
Philippine Council for Sustainable Development, hereafter referred to as the
Council, is hereby strengthened, structurally and functionally, in accordance
with the provisions of this Executive Order.

SEC. 2. Composition of the Council.

The Chairperson of the Council shall be the
Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning as NEDA Director-General and Chair of the
POPCOM Board of Commissioners, with the Secretary of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as Vice-Chairperson.

2. The members of the Council from government shall
be regular officers from the following departments with a rank of director or
higher, duly deputized to represent their respective secretaries and committed
to the cause of sustainable development:

a. Department of Foreign Affairs
b. Department of Science and Technology
c. Department of Finance
d. Department of Agriculture
e. Department of Public Works and Highways
f. Department of Education, Culture and Sports
g. Department of Labor and Employment
h. Department of Health
i. Department of Trade and Industry
j. Department of Interior and Local Government
k. Department of Social Welfare and Development
l. Department of Budget and Management
m. Department of National Defense
n. Department of Energy
o. Department of Transportation and Communication
p. Department of Agrarian Reform

3. Civil society, composed of people’s
organizations, non-government organizations and sectoral/major groups
representation shall have nine (9) Council members selected by their community,
based on their commitment to sustainable development concerns, through a
process designed by them. These shall include the following major groups:
women, youth, farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous people, Moro and Cordillera
people, urban poor, persons with disabilities, academe, professionals, media,
religious groups and NGOs.

4. Labor and business shall have two (2)
representatives each in the Council. Representation shall, likewise, be decided
through a process to be designed by them.

The Council shall have the authority to invite any
government agency or non-government entity as resource person.

SEC. 3. Composition of the PCSD Committee. In
support of the PCSD, there shall be created under the Council four (4)
committees corresponding to the 4 major areas of concern of the global Agenda
21. The government representatives to these committees shall be at least
division chiefs in their respective agencies. When necessary, sub-committees
may be created.

These committees and their composition shall be as
follows:

1. Committee on Social and Economic Dimensions
(CSED)

2. Committee on Conservation and Management of
Resources for Development (CCMRD)

3. Committee on Strengthening the Role of Major
Groups (CSRMG)

4. Committee on Means of Implementation (CMI)

The composition of each committee may be expanded,
reduced or reconstituted upon the recommendation of the concerned committee and
approval by the Council.

Membership in the committees and sub-committees of
the Council by members of the non-government community, including civil
society, business and labor, shall be determined through a process designed by
them. In each of these committees, there shall be a Co-chair, who shall not be
from the government sector, to be elected by the committee members.

SEC. 4. Powers and Functions of the Council.

1 To review and ensure the implementation of the
commitments made by the Philippines in the light of the UNCED and PA 21;

2. To establish guidelines and mechanisms that will
expand, concretize and operationalize the sustainable development principles,
as embodied in the Rio Declaration, the UNCED, Agenda 21, the National
Conservation Strategy and the Philippine Agenda 21, and incorporate them in the
preparation of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan, both at the
national and local levels, with active participation from the non-government
sector and people’s organizations;

3. To formulate policy reforms, programs and
projects and recommend new legislations that respond to continuing and emerging
issues and charting future actions related to environment and sustainable
development;

4. To provide policy advice to appropriate bodies
on environment and sustainable development issues of national interest;

5. To institutionalize a mechanism that would
ensure linkage with the legislative, executive, local government units,
non-governmental organizations, business and other concerned entities/sectors,
in the formulation of policies and decision-making on sustainable development
concerns;

6. To act as the coordinating mechanism with the
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), through the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and actively solicit assistance and
cooperation towards the realization of our commitment made at the UNCED;

7. To review and monitor plans, policies, programs
and legislations on sustainable development and recommend mechanisms/strategies
for promoting efficiency and timeliness of their execution;

8. To establish a networking mechanism to link with
local and international organizations involved in sustainable development;

9. To call on any and all government agencies,
resource persons and  other groups, as necessary, in the performance of
its role and functions;

10. To catalyze the formation and
institutionalization of local councils for sustainable development in close
coordination with local authorities;

11. To establish, reorganize or abolish committees
of the Council; and

12. To perform such other acts which are necessary
to carry out its mandated functions and responsibilities.

SEC. 5. The Secretariat. The
Council shall be assisted by a Coordinating Secretariat which shall be based at
the NEDA, the composition of which shall be determined by the Director-General,
and a Counterpart Secretariat, the composition of which shall be determined by
the People’s/Non-Government Organization members of the Council.

SEC. 6. Budget. There shall be provided in the
General Appropriations Act a regular line item under the NEDA budget to cover
the operational requirements of the Council subject to the prescribed budgetary
guidelines.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. All
Executive Orders which are inconsistent with the provisions of this order are
hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SEC. 8. Effectivity. This
Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 26th day of Sept in
the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety-Six.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines

By the
President:

(Sgd.) RUBEN
D. TORRES
Executive Secretary

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