Description
Reform Description
This proposal, Project IMPACT (Inclusive Monitoring and Participation for Accountability in Climate Transformation) aims to make climate finance more accessible via a citizen-designed platform that allows users to track projects and report issues to government agencies through web and mobile tools.
Problem(s) Addressed by Reform
The principle of participatory decision-making, despite being a cornerstone of effective and inclusive climate governance, has yet to be fully institutionalized in the Philippines’ climate action landscape.
Citizens—particularly those in marginalized and vulnerable communities—are among the most directly impacted by both the effects of climate change and the mismanagement of climate finance. However, they often remain excluded from decision-making processes (Reyes & Mendoza, 2012). Advocates, local governments, and policymakers are similarly affected, as the fragmented and sporadic nature of current systems limits the ability to monitor and track climate expenditures effectively. This lack of integration not only weakens accountability mechanisms but also hampers advocacy efforts and evidence-based policymaking (Bautista & Tan, 2018; Villanueva, 2020).
This issue is widespread across the Philippines, where various government agencies, sectors, and local governments are involved in climate finance processes. Key systems like the Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET) and the National Integrated Climate Change Database and Information Exchange System (NICCDIES) have improved fiscal transparency regarding climate budgets and expenditures but remain largely inaccessible to the public. The complex and technical nature of these platforms prevents citizens and local communities from easily monitoring, reporting, or providing feedback on how climate funds are being used. Citizens are excluded from the process and cannot effectively track spending, report discrepancies, or hold governments accountable for climate-related investments.
Moreover, in the absence of a unified system for monitoring and tracking, public funds are not maximized, overlaps in programs go unnoticed, discrepancies in budgeting are hidden, and collaborative opportunities for projects to optimize resources are missed.
This project aims to strengthen fiscal transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in climate finance by enhancing the Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET) system, improving access to climate finance data through the NICCDIES platform and developing a citizen monitoring and feedback tool. The initiative will develop a citizen-oriented interface that simplifies and visualizes publicly available climate-tagged budget and expenditure data.
The platform can contribute to broader transparency and accountability efforts by empowering users to explore climate-relevant investments, report issues, and provide feedback to relevant government agencies.
For government agencies, this platform can serve as a complementary tool that enhances data visibility and supports monitoring of climate-related budget allocations and expenditure. It will provide valuable inputs to national government agencies’ Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning efforts, particularly in promoting transparency and feedback mechanisms.
Unlike previous efforts, where climate data was made available but often remained inaccessible due to its technical format, this platform will provide user-friendly visualizations and spatial mapping of key programs, such as farm-to-market roads (Department of Agriculture or DA) and flood control programs (Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH). These programs were selected because they have available geo-tagged data, enabling citizens to engage with and monitor projects in their localities—fostering transparency and increasing civic participation, as people can take part from where they are.
A critical feature of this platform will be the creation of a feedback loop, allowing citizens to submit input, report issues, and track responses directly from government agencies. This ensures that citizens’ concerns are not only heard but also acted upon, and that they can monitor how government agencies respond. By routing feedback to the appropriate agencies and enabling citizens to follow through on the results, the platform promotes accountability and strengthens public trust. A service level agreement with national government agencies will be sought and agreed on to ensure that citizen feedback is acted upon with urgency and timeliness.
Relevance to OGP Values
This commitment promotes transparency by making climate finance data more accessible and understandable through a user-friendly platform. It transforms complex, technical data into visual, location-specific information that citizens can easily track and engage with in their own localities. By providing geo-tagged budget allocations and expenditures on selected programs, the platform shows where funds are going and how projects are progressing.
A key feature is the feedback loop, which ensures agencies respond to citizen input, making government actions more visible and trackable. The platform will display a public log of feedback and agency responses to ensure transparent monitoring and evaluation. This will be presented in an easy-to-navigate format.
A core component of this commitment is citizen ownership. By engaging citizens and civil society organizations as co-designers of the platform, the project ensures that it is shaped by those who are most affected by climate change. This participatory approach gives communities a sense of ownership over both the platform and the process, strengthening their long-term engagement.
The initiative will also proactively involve citizens through consultations, capacity-building workshops, and public awareness campaigns. These efforts will equip individuals and local groups with the skills to interpret climate budget data, use the platform effectively, and contribute meaningful feedback. Through continuous advocacy and recognition of good practices—such as active citizen reporting and prompt government responses—the project will encourage sustained participation.
For engagement to be sustained, citizens must see that their reports lead to action and resolution. This is where the feedback loop comes in. This accountability mechanism ensures the process is not one-way—citizens are listened to, and governments are expected to act.
This commitment creates a dynamic system where citizens are empowered and public institutions are more responsive, inclusive, and accountable, thereby building public trust.
Intended Results
The project will be delivered in four phases: inception and planning, platform development (web and mobile), pilot testing and development of final report that will contain best practices, lessons learned, recommendations for scaling up that can form part of policy recommendations that the government can pursue.
Specific Outputs include:
1) A co-designed monitoring platform under NICCDIES that:
- Simplifies and visualizes CCET data
- Features geo-tagged tracking of projects (e.g., farm-to-market roads, flood control)
- Includes a built-in response mechanism for agencies to acknowledge and act on feedback
- Displays a public log of feedback and agency responses to ensure transparency
- Includes mobile phone accessibility and uses social media functionalities to encourage user engagement
- An offline system led by CSOs to encourage participation from citizens that have no access to internet or to mobile phones
2) A public awareness and education campaign that:
- Promotes the democratic right of citizens to monitor public funds
- Emphasizes the value of citizen engagement in the climate budget process
- Encourages government officials to lead by example in promoting open, transparent governance
- Highlights good practices, such as citizens actively reporting and agencies responding efficiently—building public trust and motivating continued participation
3) Training programs and learning materials for CSOs, grassroots organizations, and local governments to use and promote the platform effectively
4) A pilot implementation in four (4) high climate risk exposure provinces, with lessons captured for replication and national scaling
5) A Final Report capturing lessons learned, best practices and policy recommendations for scaling up
Expected changes in behavior, systems, and practices
- Citizens actively participating in climate program oversight through the platform
- Government agencies regularly responding to feedback and using it for program improvement
- Institutionalization of a feedback-response system in climate finance governance
- A growing body of positive case studies that demonstrate how transparency, civic engagement, and accountability lead to better results
The project also has the potential to inform and influence policy development—by surfacing patterns in citizen concerns, identifying gaps in climate programming, and demonstrating the value of participatory monitoring, it can contribute to policy reforms that strengthen accountability frameworks, enhance public access to information, and embed citizen engagement more deeply in climate finance systems.
Milestones
This climate finance transparency platform project is structured around four key milestones over a three-year period, led by the CCC with support from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Throughout all milestones, communications and advocacy efforts run continuously to ensure ownership, accountability, participation, and responsiveness by stakeholders.
Milestone 1: Inception and Planning (2026)
* Launch with an inception workshop aligning CCC, DBM, ICSC, and UNDP roles and objectives.
* Conduct CSO workshops to gather input on platform design focusing on citizen needs and data usability.
* Validate CCET data through CCC and UNDP.
* Negotiate collaboration with implementing agencies such as DPWH and DA.
* Prepare groundwork for platform development.
Milestone 2: Platform Development and Feedback Tool (2026)
* Develop a web-based platform and mobile feedback tool incorporating citizen feedback.
* Create an offline system through local CSOs to reach communities without internet/smartphones.
* Integrate social media features (liking, sharing, posting photos/videos) to boost engagement.
* Pre-test platform with CSOs and government agencies.
* Official launch planned for November 2026 during CCC Week.
Milestone 3: Pilot Implementation (2027)
* Conduct a one-year pilot in four high climate risk provinces identified in the National Adaptation Plan, covering the country’s three island groupings: Luzon (Albay and Pangasinan), Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao (BARMM).
* Train local CSOs and engage local governments in platform use and feedback collection.
* Test platform functionality, usability, and government responsiveness under real conditions.
* Collect data and lessons for further improvements.
Milestone 4: Documentation, Policy Development, and Advocacy (2027–February 2028)
* Compile lessons learned and best practices from the pilot.
* Develop policy proposals to institutionalize fiscal openness and citizen participation in climate finance.
* Launch advocacy campaigns empowering CSOs and stakeholders to promote transparency and governance reforms.
* Ceremonial turnover of the Final Report scheduled for February 2028, marking formal completion of project documentation and jumpstarting policy work.
Is Civil Society Involved?
Yes. As this is a climate finance monitoring system designed for and by citizens, CSOs play a critical role and are heavily consulted and involved throughout the entire process — from inception, implementation, monitoring, to making policy recommendations after the pilot. Both national and local CSOs, including grassroots organizations, will be actively engaged and consulted. This platform was designed with them front and center, ensuring they have a meaningful role in decision-making—not just as watchdogs but as partners in fostering genuine climate governance and driving climate transformation.