CALL FOR URGENT CLIMATE FINANCE ACTION GAINS GROUND
Aquino administration urged to take urgent climate action through public finance
Manila (7 July 2009) — Civil society groups called on the Aquino administration today to take concerted action against what it described as "governance chaos" reigning over the administration of climate change-driven finance in the Philippines.
The call was made with the release of a report titled Financing Adaptation or Funding Chaos, by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and Oxfam which called for climate action through public finance. The report revealed over 54 percent of foreign climate funds have been programmed for mitigation activities while only 45 percent have gone to urgent adaptation measures. Worse, said the groups, most funds for adaptation have come in the form of loans.
The call for public finance-driven climate action has gained critical support from leading national personalities. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has embraced the cause, stating "National survival is at stake. Public finance measures that protect our ecosystems and future generations is urgent." At the House, Liberal Party spokesperson and congressman Erin Tañada said "Among the first steps towards raising public funds for climate action is to scrutinize the national budget."
"The lack of national climate action plans has made the Philippines vulnerable twice over and this needs to change," said Red Constantino of the iCSC. "The country is exposed to greater climate risks yet it is also vulnerable to predatory financing from funding institutions seeking profit from climate-induced tragedy."
The groups called on the government to mobilize domestic funds for long-term climate action. "We need to intensify demands for rich nations to scale up compensatory funding for impacts brought about by climate change. However, it is folly for the Philippines to rely only on the proliferation of finance pledges from developed countries," said iCSC and Oxfam.
The report said the Aquino government must prioritize action on adaptation. It outlined a national adaptation agenda anchored on public finance. The report called on the government to "access untied finance from the Adaptation Fund, a non-donor-driven institution under the UN with funding modalities that allow developing countries to sidestep conditionality-heavy financing institutions such as the World Bank."
"Adaptation should be declared as the national imperative," said Oxfam climate campaigner Marie Madamba-Nuñez. "It is vital that new funds are mobilized and delivered to those least able to cope, such as small women shareholders in agriculture," Nuñez said.
Oxfam and iCSC called for the creation of a National Survival Fund "that will democratize access to and create predictable long-term finance streams for urgent adaptation and disaster risk reduction projects and programs." The groups said "rationalization and the immediate revision of the implementing rules and regulations of the Climate Change Commission should be considered urgent." The Commission, said the groups, "needs to play a capacity-building, coordinative leadership role, primarily as the country's lead line agency and local government unit climate action rating agency." #
For inquiries, contact: Glenn Maboloc, Oxfam, 0928-5042911, gmaboloc@oxfam.org.uk. Yvonne Caunan, Media Officer, Office of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, 0920-9835042, 552-6601 loc. 5554.
