President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called for a "transformative agenda" to address global challenges and bridge divides as he signed a new United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework on Tuesday.

The UNSDCF is a five-year plan to guide the UN's development activities in the Philippines from 2024 to 2028. It is aligned with the Philippine government's eight-point socio-economic agenda, the Philippine Development Plan and Ambisyon Natin.

In his speech at the signing ceremony in Malacañang, Marcos said that the UNSDCF is "oriented to support Philippine government policies and priorities embodied in the eight-point socio-economic agenda, the Philippine development plan, and Ambisyon Natin."

He added that the UNSDCF "enjoins us and agencies in the government's determined pursuit of the highest aspirations of our people."

Marcos said that the Philippines looks forward to "vigorous engagements and key issues that bear on the future of our communities, including food security, education, climate action, decent work, digital transformation and disaster risk reduction."

He also invited new approaches to help promote innovation driven by climate-smart and sustainable growth at all levels.

Marcos said that the Philippines is also fostering access to green financing, lasting peace, and better public services across the archipelago.

"With the UN delivering as one fully cognizant of the Philippine needs and context and the voices of its partners including civil society, our partnership can be a catalyst for the accomplishment of our shared goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

Marcos also noted that the UNSDCF is among the first of its kind under the reformed UN development system.

"Our collaboration will showcase the best and finest the UN development system can offer the world with programs that provide solutions and a far-reaching impact and provide good models of co-ownership, transparency, and accountability," he said.

Marcos said that the UNSDCF brings with it not only the legacies of the Philippines' constructive and long-standing engagement with the UN, but also signifies the country's role in shaping more inclusive and effective multilateral institutions that embrace and bring tangible results to all.

He added that the UNSDCF also acknowledges how the Philippines' best practices and experience can help the achievement of the SDG agenda elsewhere through South-South cooperation platforms.

Marcos said that the UN recognizes that peacebuilding milestones in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao offer valuable insight for peacemaking across the world.

He added that the Philippines' advocacies in the Indo-Pacific and in the global arena for the rule of law and a peaceful settlement of disputes also provide opportunities for a more substantive engagement with the UN.