Foreign donors support RP's climate change programs

Foreign donors commended the government’s commitment to cope with climate change and expressed support for the country's programs on this environment problem. These donors include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), US Agency for International Development (USAID) Philippines, Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), GTZ, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), among others. Representatives of these groups participated in a recent meeting hosted by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) in Malacañang. The financial organizations expressed their willingness to help the government come up with a National Action Plan against Climate Change (NAPCC), which must be put in place by April 2011, based on the Climate Change Act or Republic Act 9729. Climate change is considered as the world's greatest environmental challenge that affects economic, health and safety, food production, and security issues, among others. CCC Vice Chairman Secretary Heherson Alvarez said “the objective of the Commission in calling for a series of coordination meetings with donors is to ensure that all foreign aid and loans are not and will not be misappropriated, misused, or be overlapping with other government projects on climate change." He added that President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, chairman of the CCC, also called for a prudent use of the funds intended for climate change programs. Jaqueline Badcock, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), said it is critical for the government to lead climate change efforts. Erika Geronimo, portfolio manager of AusAID, likewise lauded the CCC's initiative in coordinating donor activity and identifying priority programs. Undersecretary Carlos A. Garcia VI said the CCC plans to create a technical working group, composed of technical experts and representatives from the CCC’s Advisory Committee, to work on the NAPCC. “The existence of donor programs in support of the six pillars in our country’s National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC), as well as their mere participation and statements of support, queries and suggestions about the planned National Action Plan against Climate Change for our country signifies very well the international financial institutions’ vote of confidence for the climate change programs of the Philippines, our government, including the CCC," Alvarez pointed out. “We are looking forward for a long-term relationship with institutions, and closer collaboration with development partners in supporting the government’s efforts in its action towards mitigation and adaptation to be able address the impacts of climate change in our country," he added. –VVP, GMANews.TV