IV JOINTLY FACING THE CHALLENGE OF OUR TIMES: CLIMATE CHANGE

IV

JOINTLY FACINg THE CHALLENgE OF OUR TIMES: CLIMATE CHANgE

This Franco-Philippine “touch” for producing landmark documents has continued to the present day. In 2015, the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change set the stage for reinforced international cooperation to counter one of the most urgent threats facing the community of nations. The Philippines played a key role in the negotiation of the Paris Agreement, serving as Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a grouping of the countries most affected by climate change in terms of natural disasters and extreme weather events.

Former Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III chaired the meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum held at the sidelines of the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in Paris in December 2015.

On the occasion of former French President Francois Hollande’s visit to the Philippines following the large-scale devastation and loss of lives wrought by super-Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban in the Eastern Visayas, a bilateral declaration, the “Manila Call for Climate Action,” was issued urging all countries and stakeholders to join forces to combat climate change and work towards a “universal, equitable and ambitious climate deal.”

The havoc left in the wake of super-typhoon Haiyan was widely seen as “ground zero” for climate change. Its tragic impacts were a timely wake-up call and catalyst for resolute climate action ahead of the Paris COP21. These initiatives helped generate substantial momentum leading into the final stages of negotiations in Paris and contributed to the Agreement’s adoption. The Philippines’ Climate Change Commission and the Embassy of France in the Philippines organized a bike ride at the Luneta National Park in Manila entitled “The Road to Paris starts in Manila.”

Hence, after 70 years, the Philippine-Franco multilateral partnership comes full circle. While in the beginning, the spirit of Paris was an inspiration for the creation of UNESCO for the Philippines, now, Manila is the beacon of the battle against climate change, whose efforts are anchored on the Paris Agreement.

Figure 174. Participants to the Climate Vulnerable Forum, November 2015 (Photo / Climate Vulnerable Forum)

The Philippines is an active member of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and ratified the Paris Agreement in 2017. Environmental protection remains a core objective of Philippine government policy nationally and internationally.

Figure 175. Climate Week - COP21: The Road to Paris starts in Manila (Photo / Embassy of France to the Philippines)

Figure 176. Climate Week – COP21 – Former Climate Change Commission Chair, Ms. Mary Ann Lucille Sering, reaches the finish line. (Photo / Embassy of France to the Philippines)