PH seeks transparent implementation of climate projects

GLASGOW – The Philippines proposed that governments and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) work closely to address transitional adjustments that may need to be undertaken by affected sectors to ensure transparent implementation of climate-related projects on the ground .

Department of Finance (DOF) Undersecretary Mark Dennis Joven said that while MDBs like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) actively support the Philippines’ energy transition efforts, there is still work to be done to put implementing the country’s “just transition principles”.

Speaking here at a recent forum organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Joven cited the example of AfDB support for a project that aims to replace public utility vehicles (VPUs). ) energy-inefficient and inefficient, such as tricycles circulating in urban areas, with more energy-efficient electrical areas.

He said that this project had gone beyond the AfDB’s environmental, social and gender guarantees, but that essential support was deemed necessary to ensure its sustainability, such as the establishment of more and more accessible charging stations for local people. vehicles and driver assistance switching to the new Transport System.

Joven said further studies should be done when putting in place any innovations or new systems that support climate change initiatives to determine whether these would already work within existing regulatory frameworks or require further development. new legislation to ensure their effective implementation.

“Although positive progress has been made in the area of ​​climate policy and transitional justice, we need to pursue initiatives at the project level to ensure not only that project implementation runs smoothly, but above all that important questions on transitional justice and other related objectives are met, “he added.

The forum on “Supporting MDBs for a Just Transition – Common Principles for Political Support and Funding for a Just Transition” is a side event to the United Nations (UN) Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP26) .

Joven said the Philippines is a leader in the field of game-changing climate legislation through support from the AfDB and other multilateral institutions in the form of policy-based loans and technical assistance.

As early as 2008, when his renewable energy law was passed by Congress, Joven said the Philippines had adopted just transition principles in the areas of climate change and fossil fuel reduction.

These include the subsequent enactment of laws such as the Climate Change Law in 2009 and the Green Jobs Law of 2016, he said.

“The various laws cited above are proof of this strong collaboration between the government and institutions such as the ADB and the World Bank (WB). In fact, to further accelerate the climate change agenda, the government is in negotiations with the AfDB and the European Union (EU) on a new loan based on climate policy, ”Joven said.

Joven also cited critical government policies such as the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the recent submission of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of the Philippines; the application by the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the guidelines for a just transition in the Philippines in 2017; and the publication of guidelines for green economy models in 2017 among the country’s initiatives to “put the issue of just transition at the center of discussions on climate change”.

Other participants in the forum organized by the EBRD included Iryna Stavchuk, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine; and representatives of the MDB Alignment Working Group in Paris, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the ILO and the Institute for Human Rights and Business. (RP)