22 April 2016 – The Philippines, as chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), led discussions on activities that aimed to further explore and strengthen cooperation on climate change in various sectors, including labor, health, and finance.
Established in 2009, the CVF is a group of 43 developing countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. Its main goal is to raise awareness about the adverse impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations and communities while exchanging relevant information and best practices.
Chaired by Minister Enrico T. Fos of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, the meeting identified and laid the groundwork for a number of activities in line with the key priorities of the group.
These included two panel discussions: one on Climate Change and Labour: Heat Stress in the Workplace that will be held at the International Labor Organization on April 28 and another on the impacts of climate change on health that will be on May 24 as an official side event of the 69th World Health Assembly.
The meeting also took note of related developments, such as the recent conclusion of the V20 meeting in Washington on April 14. Composed of the finance ministers of CVF member-countries, the V20, among other decisions, established three Focus Groups that would look into the respective issues of climate accounting, advocacy and partnerships, and risk pooling.
“The international community reached an important milestone with the conclusion of the Paris Agreement in December 2015,” said Minister Fos. “The cross-cutting impact of climate change means we need to embody climate action in all areas of engagement. It is up to us to ensure that the spirit of the Agreement reverberates across all sectors of cooperation,” he added.
The Philippines assumed chairmanship of the CVF in January 2015. END