Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
President Marcos is hopeful to partner with Australian to address the impact of climate change and discuss the possibilities in the clean energy sector.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. speaks during the leaders’ plenary session at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (Malacañang Photo)
During his speech at the leaders’ plenary session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, the Chief Executive laid out the Philippines’ comprehensive plans to boost the renewable energy industry and acknowledged Australia’s aim to boost clean energy trade, financing, and investment in the region.
“We thus invite Australia to partner with the Philippines in our clean, green, and renewable energy industry and other emerging technologies, and introduce energy efficiency and conservation measures,” Marcos said in his country statement.
Noting the Philippines’ vulnerability to the harsh effects of climate change, the President stressed that his administration is taking the necessary steps both domestically and in international fora for climate change.
He also took the change to welcome the outcomes of the 28th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai last year and reiterated the offer to host the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund in the Philippines.
“Hosting the Board in the Philippines would showcase global commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that the voices and experiences of the most affected countries are heard and considered in shaping the most urgent of global climate policies,” he said.
The Philippines already secured a seat in the inaugural Loss and Damage Fund Board at the COP28 for the years 2024 and 2026, and will serve as an alternate for 2025.
As a member, the country now has a voice in the management of funding available around the world to mitigate the effects of climate change.
In his statement, Marcos also urged Australia to continue supporting the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) beyond 2024.
“As we develop the ASEAN-Australia Plan of Action 2025-2029, let us take into account the pressing need for an effective and inclusive implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and establishment of its goals and targets on biodiversity conservation, climate action, ecosystems and— ecosystems restoration and its management,” he remarked.
“The ACB is also implementing the Mainstreaming Biodiversity into the One Health Capacity development project, a partnership among ASEAN, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Australian Government,” he added.
In September 2023, Marcos and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership (JDSP), bringing the Philippines’ and Australia’s partnership from comprehensive to strategic.
Under the strategic partnership, both countries will have deeper cooperation in climate action, education, development, and people-to-people exchanges. — Raymund Antonio
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