PH hosting of Loss and Damage Fund board a nod to BBM's climate change agenda

WHEN the Philippines won the bid to host the Loss and Damage Fund (FLD) board two weeks ago, it sent the signal that the Philippines was globally recognized for its technical and institutional capacity to address the risks of climate change. It is also important to know that hosting the board was envisioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. When funding discussions for Loss and Damage were discussed at COP27, and the possibility of the creation and inclusion of the actual Loss and Damage Fund would be in the agenda of COP28, the President already directed the Philippine team to aim for a seat at the board and propose to host the actual board in Manila. It was more than a lofty aspiration. The President believed we were ready, capable and experienced, and we should be the voice of the most vulnerable countries in the region and the world. Environment Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga, who represents the President in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said BBM had a distinct vision for the role of the Philippines in the global climate change conversations.

I was at COP28 in Dubai, working with Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga who headed the Philippine delegation. It was, as she said, our "all hands on deck" approach that paved the way to host the FLD board. Secretary Yulo-Loyzaga, the DENR climate change team, the Climate Change Commission, the DFA, our permanent mission in New York, NEDA, the Department of Finance, and the Office of the President all worked together to organize and articulate the Philippines' proposal to have a seat at the board and host the FLD board. The groundwork had been laid by many previous Philippine delegations, and it was the role of our delegation to represent our readiness to lead the policy direction on funding loss and damage in the most vulnerable countries.