Speech of Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda Panel Discussion on ASEAN Priorities for COP26 December 12, 2019 | Madrid, Spain

Good morning to my fellow panelists; colleagues; ladies; and gentlemen.

On behalf of the Government of the Philippines, I wish to congratulate and express our support to the Government of the United Kingdom as you prepare for next year’s hosting of COP.

For the Philippines, COP26 will be a defining moment in our history. We view it as the start of the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, as we strive to finalize the Paris rulebook in this year’s COP.

The period from COP25 to COP26 will also be just as crucial, as countries are given until March next year to submit their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which should reflect scaled up commitments 2 in order to achieve the prescribed climate goals in the Paris Agreement.

By that time, we can already gauge if our NDCs are on the pathway to limit global temperature rise to two degrees or even further to 1.5 degrees. The outcome will certainly set the tone for COP26.

We therefore hope that whatever residual issues here in COP25 will be immediately addressed, to allow Parties to focus on putting forward ambitious NDCs.

The Philippines, along with the ASEAN member countries and the Asia Pacific Constituency, expects the UK COP Presidency to uphold the balance of equity and fairness under the Convention in discharging its tasks of moving the implementation of the Paris Agreement forward.

The issue of clarity and predictability for the Means of Implementation—for climate finance, technology 3 transfer, and capacity building—will be a major concern. We expect the UK COP Presidency to facilitate progress on long-term finance, as well as support efforts to address loss and damage, as stipulated in the Warsaw International Mechanism.

If markets are deemed crucial in resolving the climate crisis, the UK COP Presidency should facilitate a scientifically underpinned strategy for progressive and steady global GHG mitigation under the Paris Agreement. The Philippines, along with many ASEAN countries, is open to a market-driven approach to GHG mitigation, but we also recognize the crucial role and responsibility of governments to incentivize an optimally functioning carbon market.

The Philippines also expects the UK COP Presidency to respect the struggle of developing countries to survive the impacts of climate change by putting in place their “anticipatory adaptation” systems. Not only do we expect the committed support under the 4 Convention, but also to be given time to adjust our economic systems underpinned by state of the art climate friendly technologies.

The Philippines also hopes that the UK COP Presidency will amplify and support our agenda in the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and the Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group.

To this end, the Philippines urges the establishment of a transparent and technology aided global platform that can keep track of the generation, movement, and use of certified emission reduction credits (CERs). As a main advocate of environmental integrity under the Convention, the UK COP Presidency should ensure that this transparent and accessible system will be up and running as soon as possible.

As a way forward, the Philippines hopes to be included in the “Friends of the Chair” group that will 5 help the UK COP Presidency in the preparations leading up to COP26.

We hope that developing countries, such as the Philippines, will have more opportunities to have meaningful engagement with the Convention, such as in the decision-making processes of the COP.

This is in line with the principle of climate justice—a principle we championed since the beginning and which we hope the UK COP Presidency will also uphold in COP26.

Thank you very much.