Participants from national government agencies and development partners joined the Writeshop on Project Development and the Development Partners’ Coordination Meeting held from 30 July to 1 August 2025 in Pasig City. The events were part of the Climate Change Commission and NDC Partnership’s efforts to build institutional capacity and align support for the implementation of the Philippines’ updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

MANILA, Philippines — In a bid to strengthen the country’s institutional readiness and align climate support for its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the Climate Change Commission (CCC),  in collaboration with the NDC Partnership, recently convened a two-part engagement composed of a writeshop on project development for NDC Technical and Financial Support Needs and the Development Partners’ Coordination Meeting.

The back-to-back activities aimed to ensure the alignment of development support in the lead-up for the finalization and rollout of the updated NDC. The Philippines’ first NDC, submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2021, is currently being enhanced and is expected to be finalized later this year.

The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries, institutions, and development partners working together to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement through coordinated technical and financial assistance. In the Philippines, the NDCP works closely with national focal points and government agencies to align sectoral priorities with development partner support through the NDC Partnership Plan, ensuring that national climate commitments are translated into actionable and inclusive programs.

The project development workshop gathered technical, planning, and finance focal persons from national government agencies to strengthen their capacity in developing bankable and investment-ready climate projects aligned with the NDC’s priority actions. Participating agencies included the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, Energy, Agriculture, Finance, and Budget and Management.

Over two days, participants took part in sessions on the overall strategy for NDC implementation, resource mobilization, and climate finance. A focused discussion on enhancing project bankability provided practical guidance on translating sectoral priorities into structured project proposals, concept notes, and terms of reference.

These sessions were complemented by breakout sessions that enabled agencies to identify priority actions and begin developing concept-level project ideas aligned with the NDC, laying the groundwork for further refinement and support mobilization.

To build on this momentum, the Development Partners’ Coordination Meeting on August 1 convened 39 representatives from more than 20 development partner organizations and key government agencies. Serving as a follow-through to the 2024 Development Partners’ Roundtable on Climate Action, the meeting pursued three key objectives: to take stock of ongoing support for the NDC update and implementation, to realign and reinforce support based on emerging priorities following the submission of the updated NDC.

CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje emphasized the need to sustain momentum and strengthen coordination mechanisms to support implementation.

“Today’s meeting is not merely a technical checkpoint. It is a reaffirmation of our shared climate ambition,” Borje said. “We are nearing the finalization of our policies and measures, and now is the time to look ahead to how we implement them. We must build on the momentum created by the Development Partners Coordination Group (DPCG) and ensure that this coordination mechanism evolves to support implementation and long-term climate action.”

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other partners shared updates on sectoral assessments, cross-cutting themes including just transition, gender inclusion, and pipeline initiatives. Discussions also covered the integration of NDC-aligned actions into development programming cycles, the creation of a national climate finance strategy, and the importance of improved coordination, communication, and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems.

Together, these events reflect the CCC and NDCP’s shared commitment to ensuring that the country’s NDC is not only ambitious in its targets but also achievable in practice, supported by institutional capacity, aligned partner support, and a clear pathway for implementation.

These efforts reflect the broader thrust of the Philippine government under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who has consistently underscored the urgency of climate action as a national priority. Guided by this commitment, the CCC continues to strengthen whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to ensure that the country’s climate goals are effectively translated into inclusive and sustainable action on the ground.