PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday welcomed the offer of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) to help the Philippines in climate resilience programs and in promoting a green growth strategy.
The President made the statement when he received in Malacanang former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the current president and council chairman of GGGI.
GGGI and the Philippines, through the Host Country Agreement (HCA) signed in December, had agreed to set up the former’s office in the country. The agreement is still waiting for the Senate’s ratification.
Ban told Marcos of his organization’s support of the efforts of the administration to address climate change. The Presidential Communications Office (PCO), however, did not elaborate on the type of aid offered.
It said that Ban said the GGGI also looks forward to working with the Marcos administration for the country to adapt to the changing climate situation and is ready to work with the Philippines’ foreign, environmental, and economy ministers.
The PCO said the President expressed his appreciation for GGGI’s offer and expressed hope that the Senate would ratify the HCA soon.
“We welcome any assistance or any advice on the subject (climate change). I’m certain that after you meet with the Senate President and you will speak with the senators, the ratification of the agreement will follow very quickly. I think it is something we are all, all of us in government or out of government have really put a great deal of emphasis on simply because it has been… it has affected us greatly. I hope that we can come up with some strategies that will help us,” Marcos said as he emphasized the world can no longer avoid the bad effects of the changing weather pattern, particularly with the continuous warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Seoul-based GGGI was established as an international intergovernmental treaty-based organization in 2012 at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies.
While in the Philippines, Ban is also set to meet with the members of the Philippine Senate and give a speech on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
