The Climate Change Commission (CCC) emphasized that the nation's greatest strength lies in the women, MSMEs, and communities that are already leading the way, at the Clean Tech Talks: Bridging Climate-Resilient Communities, Clean Technology Transition, and Capacity Building on Renewable Energy and Low Carbon Solutions with Government Partners and Women Entrepreneurs organized by UN Women held in Pasay City.

MANILA, Philippines | 20 November 2025 — The Climate Change Commission (CCC) underscored the critical role of women and youth, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and local government units (LGUs) in risk-informed planning to strengthen the nation’s climate resilience during the Clean Tech Talks 2025, held under this year’s Global Warming and Climate Change Consciousness Week with the theme, “Makabagong Kilusan para sa Klima at Kinabukasan.”

In his remarks, CCC Vice Chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje emphasized that resilience begins by equipping those at the center of action with the tools and opportunities to thrive in a changing climate.

“Clean tech is where science meets survival, and survival meets opportunity. It is how we prevent loss instead of admiring resilience. It is how we safeguard livelihoods before they break. It is how we uplift communities before crises deepen,” Borje said.

He also stressed that national frameworks must translate into direct benefits at the local level. “Frameworks only succeed when they reach the communities they are meant to serve,” he noted.

To support this, the CCC highlighted how its Active Climate Change Engagement Leading to Resilient, Adaptive, and Transformative Empowerment (ACCELERATE) Framework strengthens LGUs’ capacity for risk-informed planning, enables MSMEs to adopt sustainable and circular solutions, equips women and youth with access to clean technologies and finance, and improves climate budgeting and knowledge across government.

Borje added that strengthening the “center” of national resilience—making them informed, equipped, and supported—is what makes the country stronger.

"When we strengthen the center—the women who lead, the MSMEs who innovate, the LGUs who deliver, and the communities whose future we are sworn to protect—we shift from resilience as recovery to resilience as protection, prevention, and permanence," he said.

Meanwhile, Ma. Rosalyn Mesina of UN Women gave emphasis on renewable energy as a climate solution. “Renewable energy is not only a climate solution, it is an economic lifeline. Clean technologies can reduce energy costs for women entrepreneurs, expand their livelihood opportunities, and safeguard businesses from disaster-related disruptions,” Mesina explained.

The event brought together clean technology providers, women entrepreneurs, local governments, financial institutions, and private sector actors to highlight the growing role of clean and renewable technologies in strengthening women’s economic empowerment and building climate-resilient livelihoods. It also advanced the goals of the EmPower Programme, jointly implemented by UN Women and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which supports women-led enterprises and promotes gender-responsive clean energy transitions.

Aligned with the administration’s climate agenda and the President’s call for Makabagong Kilusan that is climate-smart and inclusive, the Clean Technology Talks 2025 served as a platform to expand partnerships and create pathways for collaboration, linking clean tech providers, financial institutions, government agencies, and women’s networks.

The two-day event also provided a marketplace and training platform to build the capacities of women entrepreneurs, NGAs, and LGUs on renewable energy systems, clean technologies, and low-carbon solutions—advancing community-level empowerment and strengthening local climate resilience.