FULL TEXT: Manila Call to Action on Climate Change

Below is the full text of the “Manila Call to Action on Climate Change,” a joint statement of the Philippines and France launched in Malacañang on February 26, 2015, on the occasion of the state visit of French President Francois Hollande.

Senator Loren Legarda and French actress Marion Cotillard, an environmental activist who is part of the French delegation, read the statement at the Palace ceremony.

(1) We, the heads of State of the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of France, along with leading individuals from different countries committed to climate action gathered in Manila today, wish to engage the international community, all stakeholders and world opinion, on the urgency of addressing climate change seriously, efficiently, and equitably.

(2) Less than a year ahead of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) which will take place in Paris in December 2015, the outcome of which will affect the lives of billions of people, we call upon the international community to conclude a universal, equitable and ambitious climate deal, in line with the specific recommendations set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to preserve our planet as a livable place for future generations. From Manila today, we hope to make history together in Paris in December and not simply watch history unfold.

(3) We call for climate action.

(4) As we meet in the Philippines, where people have endured an unprecedented series of extreme weather events in the last few years, we are reminded that while the developing countries have contributed least to climate change, they are the ones that suffer the most from climate change impacts. While we face similar threats and shared vulnerabilities, we have also varying strengths and capacities to address these challenges. However, we believe that our vulnerabilities and exposure to climate-induced hazards can be reduced. In the face of these, the people of the Philippines have shown extraordinary resilience.

(5) We call for climate solidarity and justice.

(6) We need an agreement negotiated and accepted by everyone and for everyone, an agreement that takes all differences in situations into account, and aims at bridging varying perspectives to hasten collective action. We need an agreement that reduces emissions, creates economic opportunities and equips us to manage the associated risks that are already locked in the foreseeable future.

(7) We call for climate cooperation.

(8) Economic growth, poverty reduction, and sustainable development can and must be achieved together. But ensuring equitable access to sustainable development for all will require enhanced means of implementation.

(9) We call for financial and technical solidarity.

(10) Considering that we are reaching the point of no return on climate change and that we must shift from intentions into action, we solemnly call on:

A. All States to work concretely and swiftly to fight climate change, notably its impacts, and further invite them to present their intended nationally determined contributions, based on their respective national circumstances and capabilities;

B. Developed countries, and developing countries in a position and willing to do so, to provide the poorest and most vulnerable countries with adequate means of implementation, to help them achieve their transition to resilient territories and low-carbon economies;

C. All stakeholders, States, local governments, business, private sector, civil society, and non-governmental organizations, academia, and citizens, to play their full role in tackling the effects of climate change and reducing the risks of climate related disasters, through individual efforts and cooperations; and

D. Everyone to echo this appeal to raise awareness of the urgent action everywhere, and reach a successful global climate change agreement in Paris.

Source: Rappler