Population Institute

UPPI-UNFPA Strategic Partnership Sealed for 2026–2028

The University of the Philippines Diliman, through the UP Population Institute (UPPI), formally sealed its collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) during a ceremonial signing held on Tuesday, 15 September, 2026, at UP Diliman. The partnership agreement will run from September 2026 to December 2028 to implement UNFPA’s 9th Country Programme.

From left: UPPI Director Maria Paz Marquez, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, and UNFPA Country Representative Ms. Neus Bernabeu Garcia (Photo credit: UNFPA Philippines)

UPPI Director Maria Paz Marquez and Prof. Elma Laguna, focal person for the UPPI-UNFPA Partnership, graced the event alongside UPPI faculty and staff.

Prof. Elma P. Laguna of UPPI (seated right) serves as the focal person for the UPPI-UNFPA Partnership. (Photo credit: UNFPA Philippines)

UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II thanked UNFPA for partnering with the Institute, highlighting the university’s responsibility to advance evidence-based research to improve the lives of Filipinos. In response, UNFPA Country Representative Ms. Neus Bernabeu Garcia emphasized the crucial role of demographers in tackling pressing demographic issues.

Brief discussions were held between UNFPA Philippines, UP Diliman, and the UP Population Institute (UPPI) before the signing proper. (Facing camera, from left: UNFPA Assistant Country Representative Jose Roi Avena, UNFPA Country Representative Neus Bernabeu Garcia, and UPD Chancellor Edgardo L. Vistan II; Photo credit: UNFPA Philippines)

The first year of this Implementing Partner Agreement leverages data from the Longitudinal Cohort Study on the Filipino Child (LCSFC), a national study tracking a cohort of young Filipinos from age 10 in 2016 until they turn 24 in 2030 to help guide national efforts toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In line with its three-pronged mandate of teaching, research, and extension, UPPI will serve as UNFPA’s strategic partner to:

• Train emerging young researchers on using data from the LCSFC and other national cross-sectional surveys, including UPPI’s flagship Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study (YAFS) and the Philippine Statistics Authority’s National Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS);e
• Institutionalize and house LCSFC datasets across all waves within UPPI’s official data repository; and
• Generate demographic policy papers to inform sectoral planning and engage key stakeholders.

These key activities are anchored in UNFPA’s commitment to "leave no one behind" by addressing barriers in gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and disaster resilience, as outlined in its 9th Country Programme framework.

Through this official partnership, UPPI affirms its dedication to public service by offering demographic training and data warehousing, while providing insights on persistent and emerging population and development concerns.

The event concluded with a group photo featuring key officials and staff from both organizations.