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Secretary Borje, Robert,
welcome. Varad, to you first

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if it's OK. Just talk to me, if
you would, about adaptation and

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resilience and why it's so
critical in Southeast Asia.

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Sure.

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You know, even as we chase the
1.5° target, it's very clear

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that the impact of extreme
weather events and temperature

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rise is now here to stay.

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And Southeast Asia is
particularly vulnerable.

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You know, some of the data that
we see says that one-third of

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GDP of the region is at risk and
about half the population of the

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region is at risk.

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Not to forget the 4,000 species
which are unique in the region,

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which are also highly
vulnerable.

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So the time to act on adaptation
and resilience is now, even as

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we continue to work on the
mitigation goals.

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Robert, talk to me about the
situation in the Philippines

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when it comes to adaptation and
resilience: the biggest

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challenges, the ambitions that
you have. That's a very good

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question.

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For the Philippines,

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both adaptation and resilience
are objects and instruments of

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policy.

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This is because we sit on the
typhoon belt and we're also in

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the Pacific Ring of Fire.

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So immediately, our geography
provides us with these

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handicaps, so to speak, towards
development.

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And we do want to progress as a
country.

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But again, the loss and damage
have been very difficult for us.

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In the last 10 years,

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our loss and damage has been
about $12.1 billion, and that's

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equal to about twice the
education budget for the

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Philippines.

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And you know how it is.

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It's a zero-sum game when you
talk about resources.

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So we have loss and damage on
the one hand because of climate

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change, but we have limited
resources that we're taking away

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from other departments.

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So it's key that we build
adaptation and resiliency from

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both the national level, as well
as in the local government

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level.

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And for us, it's really a
priority because it's what we

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need to do to ensure that our
losses and damages are not only

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minimized, but we ensure that
our economy and our people

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continue to grow.

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And it's a growth and
development that's really aimed

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towards prosperity and human
security.

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So these two are critically
important for the Philippines.

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Looking at it from a national
level,

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can you talk to me through your
National Adaptation Plan?

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The National Adaptation Plan is
a product of interagency work

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and a whole-of-society approach.

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So it's not only the Philippine
government that's been part of

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the process, but we've included
other key stakeholders of our

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society because that's what we
need to do.

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But what's also important is
that this is a science-driven

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and a data-driven document.

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And we would say it's a living
document because it simply

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starts the process that we have.

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It identifies key areas of
action at the national level so

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that our different government
agencies will be able to come up

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with the programs, and policies,
and measures to effectively

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implement these.

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And we are going to partner with
our LGUs to make sure that our

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local government units who are
really at the front line of the

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work when it comes to climate
change, adaptation, and

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resiliency need all the support
they can get.

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And I think what's also
important is that it does not

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only address the need for a
strong continuum from national

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to local government, but it also
provides the opportunity for

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international partners to be so
engaged.

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Because the approach that we
have is that climate change, the

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challenges that it poses, along
with the solutions, will have to

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be global and systemic in its
approach as well.

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So it's a very good foundational
document and it provides us with

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a solid plan to get us through
from point A to point B, what we

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call from point of fragility to
point of agility.

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Varad, is there anything to add
from a regional or global

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context? Lessons for other
countries, perhaps?

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Yeah, sure.

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And I'll pick up where Secretary
Borje left.

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I think in our experience, three
things are important to get

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right.

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The first is using science,
data, and advanced analytics to

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make better predictions about
where we are headed.

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The second is to make adaptation
people-centric and as Secretary

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was saying, Philippines has
really taken that part.

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And the third is just to make
sure that it is actionable and

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practical in terms of what comes
out of it, so we can go from

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plan to implementation to
safeguard lives and livelihoods

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that we seek to do.

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For us,

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it's critical, again, because
for the Philippines, these are

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not just concepts or plans.

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What's more important than just
the plans are the outputs and

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the outcomes that we want.

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And for my country, and for my
president, President Ferdinand

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Romualdez Marcos Jr., it's
important that we get this into

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perspective.

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For the Philippines, it's lives,
and livelihood, and our future

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that's at stake.

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And therefore, this foundational
document is key to make sure

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that we have not just a clear
path, but the clear and

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measurable outcomes and outputs
that we will later on revisit to

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make sure that the plan is
working, and working well for

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our people.

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And I just want to say that it's
equally important for us to make

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sure that the plan, and it is,
it's inclusive, it's reflective

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of the desires and aspirations
of our entire society.

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And it gives us again the
lodestar for the work that needs

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to be done, so that we become a
climate smart, climate

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resilient, and low-carbon
economy for the future.

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Great.

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Thank you so much.

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Thank you.