The Department of Finance (DOF), in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), officially launched the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Handbook for the Philippines and the GCF Philippines website during the first-ever “National Stakeholders Conference on the GCF in the Philippines” held on June 27, 2024.
The GCF, the world’s largest multilateral climate fund, was established to serve the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) to support low-emission development and climate resilience projects in developing countries.
With the theme “Driving Collective Action through Accessible Climate Finance,” the Conference gathered representatives from different sectors such as the Philippine government, civil society organizations, local government units, private sector, indigenous peoples (IPs), academe, and multilateral institutions to exchange insights on leveraging the GCF to accelerate climate action and identifying opportunities for fostering synergy among stakeholders.
The GCF Handbook for the Philippines is expected to streamline, simplify, and broaden access to a rich mix of blended financing for a pipeline of bankable projects and cross-cutting climate solutions in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the GCF Philippines website can be an instrument in amplifying the Fund’s visibility in the country and enhancing transparency from project conception to implementation and evaluation.
The Conference was led by Finance Undersecretary Joven Z. Balbosa of the International Finance Group (IFG). Panelists included Finance Undersecretary Maria Luwalhati Dorotan- Tiuseco, Climate Change Commission (CCC) Commissioner Rachel Anne Herrera, GCF Director of the Mitigation and Adaptation Division German Velasquez, Executive Director of the Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities Angelo Kairos Dela Cruz, and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Senior Infrastructure Specialist Rodrigo Fermin Martinez.
In addition, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO) National Technical Assistance Coordinator Ryan Vita, Program Officer of the Environmental Programs Management Department of the Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) Jose Diaz, Jr., Weather Services Chief of the Climatology and Agrometeorology Division of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Thelma Cinco, and Director of the Agriculture, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Nieva Natural also engaged in a separate panel discussion.
Both panel discussions were moderated by Asian Institute of Management clinical professor and Expertise France Technical Lead Marqueza Reyes.
