With technical and funding support amounting to USD 13.5 billion as of the end of June 2024 from development partners, the country is making significant progress in its climate change action plan and support mechanisms, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported today.

According to DENR data, the country’s climate action initiatives are supported by the collaborative effort of 31 development partners in 94 projects, of which 23 are loan-funded and comprising 96% of the total value of $13.5 billion. These projects are mainly in the transport, agriculture, waste and industrial processes, and energy sectors.

Transport projects alone account for $11.79 billion in loans, with 21 ongoing and two upcoming projects. In the agriculture sector, $81 million in grants support livelihood enhancements and smart agricultural technologies, while the waste and industrial processes sectors received $11.79 million and $9.22 million, respectively, in project funding. The energy sector also sees significant investment, with projects totalling $1.08 billion.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said the country’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contribution Implementation Plan (NDCIP) are actively addressing climate change impacts and helping local governments become more resilient through greenhouse gas emissions reduction and capacity-building.

The NDCIP is a document containing the country’s contribution to the goals of the Paris Agreement on greenhouse gas emissions, while the NAP is the country’s plan to mitigate and adapt to the adverse impact of climate change.Secretary Loyzaga, who also represents the President Bongbong Marcos in the Climate Change Commission (CCC), emphasized the importance of strategic coordination with development partners and financial institutions to achieve mitigation and adaptation goals. “This coordination ensures that adaptation and mitigation efforts are integrated across sectors, scales, and regions,” she said.

Secretary Loyzaga led and presided over the “Development Partners’ Forum on Climate Action: Mobilizing Support for the NDC Implementation Plan and National Adaptation Plan” on June 20 in Makati City.

Represented by H.E. Laure Beaufils and Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) ASEAN Green Catalytic Finance Lead Scott Roberts, the UK and ADB have been key supporters of the Philippines’ climate action efforts in line with fulfilling the country’s commitments to the Paris Agreement. The UK provided financial, scientific and technical support towards drafting the NAP, while the ADB assisted the country in identifying the strategies and targets towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and cost of sectoral transitions in the NDCIP. The development partners forum then aimed to sharpen the focus and accelerate the roles and contributions of partners from the World Bank, GIZ, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the European Union (EU), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Food Program and others in addressing the NAP and NDCIP targets in line with the implementation of the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

Present at the Forum were representatives from the CCC, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Finance (DOF). These agencies highlighted the need to target support towards the specific priorities, strengths, gaps and needs in the country’s journey to inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. Agency representatives such as Undersecretary Carlo Abad Santos and CCC Vice-chairperson Robert Borje are also lead members of the Philippine Delegation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations.###