MANILA, PHILIPPINES 23 January 2019 – The Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction lauds the National Economic & Development Authority (NEDA) Declaration on Climate Change during its meeting held at SEAMEO Innotech, Diliman, Quezon City.

NEDA commits the agency to green its systems and practices and, at the same time, to track down its carbon footprint.

The NEDA Management Committee Officials, in its Declaration “reaffirm their commitment to conserve our environment and natural resources and address climate change, and call upon all NEDAns to take proactive role in adopting and implementing concrete actions toward greening NEDA’s systems and process which will contribute in reducing NEDA’s carbon footprint.” Moreover, it also authorizes the Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Staff (ANRES) “to spearhead the implementation of progressive measures that would result in the achievement of their objectives.”

“The NEDA Declaration on Climate Change provides a framework that will guide and enable NEDA to implement bold and concrete actions that are geared toward addressing climate change and ensuring the protection and conservation of our environment and natural resources,” Socio-Economic Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said.

As presented during the meeting, the NEDA Climate Change Strategy is composed of four components:

1. The first component is the development and dissemination of a video on climate change and the adoption of the NEDA Declaration on Climate Change.

2. The second component is the mainstreaming of sustainable consumption and practices in NEDA’s internal processes such as water and energy conservation, efficient use of resources, phase-down of plastics, waste reduction and recycling, and greening of the workplace.

3. The third component is the introduction as well as the adoption of alternative transport service schemes like ride-sharing and point-to-point shuttle service.

4. The fourth and the last component is the monitoring and assessment of the effectiveness of its climate change mitigation initiatives by measuring and tracking their carbon dioxide emissions reduction and changes in behavior as the same time setting-up of a reward system to incentivize good practice.

Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman of the Climate Change Commission, together with Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, presided the first cabinet cluster meeting for the year. They led in congratulating NEDA on its efforts to recognize the policy of the State to afford full protection and advancement of the right of people to a healthy ecology to fulfill human needs while maintaining the quality of the natural environment for current and future generations as mandated by RA 9729, otherwise known as the Climate Change Act of 2009, as amended by RA 10174.

In emulating NEDA, the cabinet cluster passed a resolution encouraging the member-agencies to address climate change and to take a proactive role in adopting and implementing concrete actions that will contribute in reducing our country’s carbon footprint.