36M-euro project for climate action
THE Climate Change Commission (CCC), in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH or German Development Cooperation, announced the soft launch of the Transformative Actions for Climate and Ecological Protection and Development (Transcend) Project. This foreignassisted project aims to enhance the country’s capacity to implement its climate change and biodiversity policies.
Amounting to 36.8 million euros, Transcend ensures the transparent, integrated and accountable implementation of climate projects across all levels of society in the Philippines, soliciting and mediating coordination between government agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector.
Robert Borje, CCC vice chairman and executive director, acknowledged the challenges that climate change poses to many sectors of society. He calls the Philippine-German collaboration on the Transcend Project a response to “the call of our time: a truly whole-of-society and wholeof-world approach to address climate change and its impacts.”
Outlined to support the Philippines in achieving its National Adaptation Plan and Nationally Distributed Contributions Implementation Plan, Transcend is calibrated to work and assist in key climate intervention areas as identified in the two framework documents.
These areas cover the protection, conservation and rehabilitation of biodiversity and natural carbon sinks; securing of investments to leverage private sector funds and jumpstart the transition to a low-carbon economy and create green jobs; synergizing of adaptation and mitigation strategies for effective carbon reduction; avoidance and sequestration of carbon emissions; and establishing multi-stakeholder decision support systems at all levels of government to enhance transparency and accelerate transformative evidence-based policies.
Transcend is intended to “catalyze positive change, promoting ‘integrated, transparent and accountable’ efforts to safeguard the environment for present and future generations,” said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga as represented by Assistant Secretary Noralene Uy.
70-year-old tie
According to GIZ’s indicative project timeline, Transcend is set to have its hard launch in August this year, following the signing of the project’s Implementation Agreement.
Transcend holds much significance to both the Philippine and German governments as it marks another chapter of the PhilippineGerman diplomatic relationship which has been going on for 70 years.
Andreas Pfaffernoschke, German ambassador to the Philippines, says that the two countries are partners with the same values who are working together to “strengthen the rule base of the national order in Europe, in Southeast Asia and everywhere in the world where it is in danger.”
Borje adds that the 70-yearand-beyond Philippine-German partnership will be powered by the “sense of hope” and “sense of renewal” that Transcend brings, which is necessary as the “work ahead of us is still long and still requires a lot of hard work.”
The Transcend Project is deeply aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by focusing on enhancing climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and fostering partnerships for effective implementation.
The CCC continues to seek effective, and robust local and international partnerships as part of its commitment to enhance the country’s capacity to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate and usher in a new era of climate resiliency in the Philippines.