From Plans to Action: TRANSCEND’s First National Technical Working Group Conference to Advance Climate and Biodiversity Goals

To open the conference, Undersecretary Analiza Rebuelta-Teh, Undersecretary for Finance, Information Systems, and Climate Change of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), highlighted the areas where the project can provide support and emphasized the importance of aligning efforts with government initiatives. Secretary Robert E.A. Borje, Vice Chairperson and Executive Director of the Climate Change Commission (CCC), on the other hand, posed a challenge to design a future that is both inclusive and enduring, and encouraged everyone to act boldly in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises in the country. Meanwhile, GIZ Country Director Immanuel Gebhardt shared the consortium’s ongoing work to support the implementation of different climate and biodiversity frameworks.

Although not physically present, Senator Loren Legarda sent a message to the project team and stakeholders, reiterating the importance of aligning local and national implementation of climate and biodiversity frameworks, and ensuring that the voices of vulnerable groups are heard.

The conference was attended by representatives from national and regional government agencies, local government units, implementing organizations, and civil society organizations. Representatives from CCC, DENR, DOE, DOTr, and DEPDev participated in a panel discussion, where they shared updates on the implementation of key climate and biodiversity policies and frameworks, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP), Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), National Transport Plan (NTP), and Philippine Development Plan (PDP). 

With a strong focus on local implementation of national climate and biodiversity priorities, the conference also facilitated discussions on aligning national and local policies. In one panel, representatives from DHSUD, the LGU of Oriental Mindoro, Iloilo City, and Misamis Oriental identified ways to strengthen the link between national and local action—ensuring that national plans are implemented locally, while also reflecting local realities in the development and enhancement of national frameworks.

To create synergies across sectors, several topics were explored through various formats such as open spaces, presentations, and deep-dive sessions. These included community engagement, climate justice, Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), and capacity development strategies, among others.

The TRANSCEND Project is a joint initiative between the Republic of the Philippines and the Federal Republic of Germany through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). It is co-steered by the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and implemented by a consortium that includes GIZ, Conservation International Philippines Foundation Inc. (CIPFI), Rare, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with targeted support from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), Wuppertal Institute, Clean Air Asia, UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), Climate Analytics, and Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE). Designed to raise ambition, the project seeks to align both international and national climate and biodiversity agendas with local implementation. Designed to raise ambition, the project seeks to align both international and national climate and biodiversity agendas with local implementation.