May 6, 2018. The Climate Change Commission (CCC), as represented by Commissioner Rachel Herrera, joins the Philippine Delegation to the 48th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convening in Bonn, Germany.

Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, Foreign Relations, and Finance, serves as the Head of the Philippine Delegation, which is composed of government representatives from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Special Committee on Climate Change of the House of Representatives.

Civil society representatives include Renato Redentor Constantino and Sara Jane Ahmed of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

“This is an opportunity for all nations to prepare for the upcoming discussions in COP24 in Poland this December, where the aim is to come up with the ‘rulebook’ to operationalize the Paris Agreement. Thus, 2018 is going to be a big year for the climate agreement. The Philippines will certainly remain to be aggressive in advancing our country’s interests and will continue to carry and champion the voice of the climate vulnerable in the negotiations,” Herrera said.

On April 30 and May 1, the CCC attended the opening plenaries and meetings of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), as well as the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA).

A training workshop on the use of economic modeling tools was attended by NEDA, while the DENR participated in the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) workshop on ways to enhance the implementation of education, training, public awareness, public participation, and public access to information.

On May 2, Commissioner Herrera delivered the Philippine interventions on risk assessment in the Suva Expert Dialogue, which explored ways for securing expertise and enhancing support (including finance, technology and capacity-building) for averting, minimizing, and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow onset events.

On May 3, the CCC attended the 7th Durban Forum on Capacity Building, which had an overarching topic of “Enhancing Capacities for the Implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions in the context of the Paris Agreement.”

Ms. Yamide Dagnet, Senior Associate of the World Resources Institute (WRI), delivered the keynote presentation and highlighted the capacity building support provided to developing countries in at least 42 NDC-related initiatives.

On May 4, the CCC attended the Meeting of the Paris Committee on Capacity Building (PCCB), which focused on addressing current and emerging gaps and needs in implementing capacity-building efforts in developing countries.

In the Policy Dinner: New Ground to Step Up on the Path to 1.5°C, Herrera shared strategies and discussed concrete steps for how the international climate policy community can close the gap to 1.5°C.

On May 5, Commissioner Herrera took part in the “Gender Dialogue: Constituted Bodies and the Integration of Gender Considerations,” which discussed gender considerations and perspectives that could be integrated to enable informed reporting on the progress towards the goals set by Parties of gender balance and gender-responsive climate policy.

Citing incidents during Typhoon Yolanda, Herrera shared that sub-national agencies should be able to cater to the needs of women in times of disasters. She also supported the suggestion of Ms. Timaima Vakadewabuka, senior member of the Fijian delegation, for countries to nominate a National Gender Focal Point (NGFP) in order to sustain the momentum of a country’s Gender Action Plan (GAP).

At the 10th Anniversary of the BMU’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), Legarda delivered a speech at a high level panel to discuss the theme “IKI in the Years to Come,” alongside Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Director-General for Global Issues-Sector Policies and Programmes of the German BMZ; Prof. Dirk Messner, Director of the German Development Institute; and Ms. Sonia Medina, Executive Director of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. The CCC also delivered a presentation on the Philippine experience on implementing IKI projects.

On May 6, Legarda represented the Philippines as participant in the Talanoa^[1] Dialogue, consisting of about 35 participants (comprising of 30 Party representatives and 5 non-Party stakeholder representatives), which will work in parallel to address three questions: Where are we? Where do we want to go? How will we get there?

In her statement, Legarda expressed that, “the way forward is to make sure that the big industrialized developed nations—while some have committed to veering away from coal—would actually walk their talk.”

On May 7 and 8, the CCC will participate in the Long-Term Climate Finance (LTF) Workshop, which will facilitate technical and action-oriented discussions on scaling up climate finance for mitigation and adaptation, with focus on country experiences and learning.

At the event “We are Stepping Up Climate Ambition” convened by the Climate Action Network, Legarda will be representing the Philippines to discuss climate ambition and deliver strong statements on enhancing ambition and revising NDCs by 2020. She will also represent the global alliance Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

On May 9, the Technical Expert Meeting – Adaptation (TEM-A) shall take place, which will focus on the topic “Adaptation Planning for Vulnerable Groups, Communities, and Ecosystems.”

At the closing of the Presidency Event on the Talanoa Dialogue, both the Fijian and Polish Presidencies will share general reflections about the process and provide next steps leading up to COP24 in Poland. Parties and non-Party stakeholders will also be invited to share their views moving forward.

The closing plenaries shall be held on May 10.

“The Philippines welcomes the positive spirit of solidarity and cooperation fostered in this climate conference. We hope that our main objective of operationalizing the mechanisms on climate finance, technology transfer, and capacity building for developing nations would be achieved in the coming days,” Herrera concluded.

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[1] Talanoa is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory, and transparent dialogue.