The Duterte administration is partnering next week with young Filipinos in the latest edition of Sulong Pilipinas, this time to craft strategies on how different sectors of society can work together to counter the disastrous effects of climate change.
Titled “Sulong Pilipinas 2021: Climate Change and the New Normal with the Youth Sector," the event—hosted by the Department of Finance (DOF)—will be held virtually on June 15, 2021.
The forum will be streamed live on the Facebook pages of the DOF, Sulong Pilipinas, Climate Change Commission (CCC), Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) and other government agencies.
Finance Spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Climate Change Finance and Disaster Risks Paola Alvarez said the upcoming virtual forum is the second Sulong Pilipinas workshop for this year.
“We want to hear the thoughts and issues of the youth sector in terms of moving the agenda of climate change forward, and how we as an economy will thrive, given the effects of the pandemic and the changing weather scenarios, among others,” she said.
Alvarez, who is also the representative of Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III in the Advisory Council of the Principles of Sustainable Finance, said they will present the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the global reduction of carbon missions during the forum.
The NDC embodies the commitments of the Philippines to the Paris Agreement to reduce national carbon emissions and adapt to the impact of climate change.
The Philippines' NDC was submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last April 14.
House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda will attend the event to talk about the Congress’ push for a nationwide ban on single-use plastics, through House Bill (HB) No. 9147 or the Single-Use Plastics Products Regulation Act.
Representatives from the government, private sector and civil society will also be present to discuss their own initiatives to counter the harmful effects of climate change.
At the end of the virtual forum, a youth representative will present the top actionable recommendations, on behalf of the participants, to President Duterte’s official representative at the event.
The Duterte administration previously held two youth-focused Sulong Pilipinas workshops.
The first workshop “Sulong Pilipinas: The 2019 Students’ Tax Convention (TaxCon)” was held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) two years ago and gathered around 500 students from 42 universities and colleges.