Marcos: Asean must urge developed countries to fulfill climate change pledges

Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attends the retreat session at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 5, 2023. (Photo by Mast IRHAM / POOL / AFP)

JAKARTA, Indonesia—President Marcos on Tuesday called on regional leaders at the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit to urge developed countries to uphold their commitments to address climate change at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) scheduled next month.

“At the upcoming COP28, Asean must call on developed countries to heighten the implementation of their commitments … that include climate finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity building, in order to drive Asean’s capabilities to prevent, mitigate, manage and adapt to the impacts of climate change,” Mr. Marcos said in his speech at the plenary.

“As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, the Philippines will continue to prioritize international cooperation that will make Asean climate-smart and disaster-ready, including through the Asean Centre for Biodiversity,” he added.

The President, who is the concurrent agriculture secretary, also raised the issue of food security in his speech, saying that to achieve it, “we must build on cooperation that will harness the transformative potential of our agricultural sector to ensure that food production is responsible and will be of benefit for future generations.”

Help migrant workers in crisis

At the same time, he called on other Asean leaders to help migrant workers in crisis situations by drafting regional guidelines to protect them and their families.

“We must be ready to assist those who have toiled to contribute significantly to our economies: our migrant workers. In this regard, the Philippines stands ready to lead and support efforts to operationalize the Asean Guidelines on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Family Members in Crisis Situations,” the President said.

The Philippines has almost 2 million overseas workers, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Mr. Marcos also called for more concerted efforts to boost regional and international cooperation, especially in the mobilization of resources to prevent and combat the abuse of technology in human trafficking. INQ