11 June 2024 – A Memorandum of Arrangement (MOA ) was signed by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) and the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), represented by Secretary Ernesto V. Perez and Ambassador of New Zealand to the Philippines Her Excellency Dr. Catherine Rosemary McIntosh, respectively, to promote mutual cooperation between the Philippines and New Zealand in improving ease of doing business and public service efficiency.
Witnessed by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manolo and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs The Right Honourable Winston Peters, this MOA seals the commitment of both countries to have a deeper collaboration towards a more dynamic, cooperative, and prosperous future.
In particular, ARTA and the NZTE will both identify, scope, and co-develop initiatives on capacity building, innovation in service design and delivery, technology transfer related to e-governance, and regulatory management, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision for a Bagong Pilipinas.
This MOA signing follows an already-established partnership between ARTA and New Zealand. Co-funded by ARTA and the NZ G2G Partnerships LTD, the T7 Masterclass of Innovation paved the way for twenty-one (21) ARTA personnel to obtain their Diploma in Applied Innovation last August 2022, with seven (7) of them obtaining their Diploma in Innovation Delivery and Diploma in Innovation Leadership on March and July 2023 respectively. This was delivered by Creative HQ, New Zealand’s leading provider of structured innovation programs for startups, corporates, and government.
The graduates of the T7 Masterclass now compose the Project Management Team of SULONG Bagong Pilipinas, ARTA’s Transformation Hub, which aims to provide innovation-related capacity development to improve transaction systems and reengineer procedures of National Government Agencies (NGAs) and Local Government Units (LGUs) to reduce red tape.
Held on 10 June 2024 at Fairmont Hotel, Makati City, the MOA signing was also graced by Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Her Excellency Kira Christianne D. Azucena and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro.
ARTA Officials present were Deputy Director General for Operations Undersecretary Gerald G. Divinagracia, Head Executive Assistant Ma. Socorro Jocelyn DC. Abot, T7 Masterclass graduate Atty. Alma Alexandra L. Martirez, and SULONG Vice Chairperson Dr. Karl Joseph D. Sanmocte.
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