The Philippines is hosting the Fourth Meeting of the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, marking a key milestone in the country’s commitment to climate resilience.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga welcomed the delegates at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday.
She emphasized the importance of the meeting in advancing global climate resilience and addressing the urgent needs of vulnerable nations.
“It is a moment of pride for the Philippines to host this fourth meeting of the Board, and the first in our country since our selection as the host country of the Board. This meeting is particularly significant as it comes at an important stage in the Fund’s establishment and operationalization,” Loyzaga said during her opening remarks.
She highlighted that the meeting underscores the Philippines’ commitment to supporting climate-vulnerable nations while strengthening its leadership in the global fight against climate change.
Loyzaga pointed to recent steps that demonstrate the country’s dedication, including the signing of Republic Act No. 12019 (Loss and Damage Fund Board Act) by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in August, granting juridical personality and legal capacity to the Board.
She also mentioned the signing of the Host Country Agreement (HCA) during the recent COP29 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“The decades-long journey to establishing the Fund was long fought and firmly grounded in the quest for resilience by the most vulnerable countries,” she said, adding that as a climate-vulnerable nation, the Philippines has a personal stake in the success of the Fund.
“Given the historically unprecedented series of six successive extreme weather events between October and November this year, the Philippines is in fact a living laboratory for current and future risk and a test case for the powerful impact of this war,” Loyzaga continued.
“Our cumulative loss and the devastation can serve as a baseline not only of what climate-vulnerable developing countries will endure in these uncertain and unpredictable times but also of our capacity to recover, given adequate and timely access to the right resources,” she added.
Loyzaga stressed that the Philippines is committed not only to the survival of its communities but also to the thriving of all nations through investments in risk-responsive social services and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Over the course of the meeting, she noted that discussions would focus on refining the Fund’s operational systems.
This includes operationalizing a bottom-up, country-led approach to strengthen national responses to loss and damage, enhancing governance mechanisms, and ensuring the effective allocation of financial resources where they are most needed.
Loss and Damage Fund Board co-chair Jean-Christophe Donnellier expressed gratitude to the Philippine government for hosting the meeting.
He acknowledged the swift action taken by Marcos in enacting provisions that grant the organization legal capacity to operate in Manila.
Donnellier announced that the total pledge to the Loss and Damage Fund has now reached USD731 million.
The contributions came from the governments of Australia, Luxembourg, Sweden, New Zealand, and the Walloon region of Belgium. (PNA)
