SHARM EL-SHEIKH, 14 November 2022 – Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga headed the Philippine Delegation to the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, One Planet High-Level Summit on Vital Reserves of Carbon and Biodiversity in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt on 7 November 2022.

Secretary Loyzaga expressed the Philippines’ support for the One Planet Initiative and willingness to engage in these partnerships to explore ways on how the parties can work together to achieve the goals of this program. Representatives from China, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Gabon, and the US were present. Officials from Conservation International, World Bank, and Global Environment Fund also attended the event.

At the sidelines of COP27, Secretary Loyzaga met with French President Emmanuel Macron and French Minister for Ecological Transition and Cohesion of the Territories Honorable Christophe Bechu. During the meeting, the Philippines relayed its high-level participation in the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), which will happen this December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

Secretary Loyzaga highlighted that the Philippines is one of the two Southeast Asian countries that signed the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People. The HAC sets an aspiration of protecting or conserving at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean, including through increased public and private financing, to ensure long-term management and local governance, and clear implementation mechanisms to nature on a path to recovery by 2030.

On partnerships related to climate change, France expressed a desire to pursue further bilateral discussions to explore further areas for cooperation such as technical assistance on natural parks management, ecological transition, and plastics management.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs