Significant progress was achieved last week in the campaign for climate justice when the Philippines was elected as the host country of the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage brought about by climate change. The Philippines won the bid over seven other contenders, capping a whole-of-government effort that was prioritized by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.; led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Budget and Management, Climate Change Commission, Department of Justice, and the National Economic and Development Authority.   

Recall that in the aftermath of super-typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), the Philippines served as the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and led in the crafting of the Manila-Paris Declaration in November 2015. Hence, the Philippines played a major role during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21), with then President Benigno S. Aquino III — together with other world leaders like US President Barack Obama, Germany’s Prime Minister Angela Merkel and France’s President Francois Hollande — sounding the call for solidarity to forestall global warming and shield humanity against the perils posed by climate change.

The CVF’s Manila Declaration, while focusing on the principal target of ensuring that the extent of global warming does not exceed 1.5 degrees centigrade, also devoted significant attention to the importance of Loss and Damage.

Hence, it recommended that options be established  “for compensating affected populations, which should be measured with a human rights-based approach” and that “international efforts for addressing loss and damage should encompass the following concrete actions: a) Confirm an international mechanism to address loss and damage, building on the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage; b) Establish a climate change displacement coordination facility to help coordinate efforts to address the displacement of people as a result of the extreme events as well as slow onset impacts of climate change; and c) Initiate a process to address losses and damages from climate change including raising financing for loss and damage.
Through the succeeding seven editions of COP meetings held in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America, issues on Loss and Damage have been extensively tackled, until the crucial matter of hosting the Fund was resolved in a meeting in South Korea last week.

President Marcos remarked that with the Philippines hosting the Loss and Damage Fund Board, it “will be a formidable voice in promoting and advancing global climate action.” He vowed that the country will adopt an inclusive approach dedicated to “ensuring that the voices of those most affected by climate change shape the future of international climate policies.” DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga stated that this bodes well for the Philippines “as one of the countries (that are) most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.” She affirmed the commitment to assist in the recovery and rebuilding of similarly-situated countries “who bear the greatest impact of climate-induced losses and damage.”

The Philippines is represented in the 26-seat L & D Board by lawyer Mark Dennis Joven, with Ms. Leila Lora-Santos serving as Board Adviser. We wish them well as they embark on their vital mission in the pursuit of climate justice and sustainable development.