Diamond Hotel, City of Manila
October 5, 2022
In an effort to find solutions and mitigate the effects of climate change and other environmental challenges confronting the nation, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. keynoted the opening day of the 2022 Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Multi-Stakeholder Forum at the Diamond Hotel in the City of Manila.
“I have described the global change crisis and the climate change effects on the countries around the world as the first truly global crisis that we have had to face. And I described it as such for the simple reason that every single citizen of the world is affected by climate change,” President Marcos Jr. remarked.
“It is an important initiative because as we all know the issue of climate change is no longer the issue of the day, it is the issue of our times,” he added, expressing optimism on the possible outcome of the forum – a harmonized agenda of the DENR and its partners in the private sector, as well as uphold the Agency’s mission of “mobilizing capacities and resources to preserve, conserve, and manage our environment.”
The Chief Executive lauded the DENR for its efforts in spearheading an inclusive dialogue with the members of international organizations, business institutions, non-government organizations and civil society advocates. He expressed his confidence in the forum’s participants to bolster cooperation and gather information on priorities for possible inclusion in the DENR policy agenda.
“As your President, I assure you that our environment and our country’s resiliency and adaptation to the new normals of climate change are on top of the national agenda,” he added.
The three-day DENR forum, slated at 5-7 October 2022, aims to enable inclusive dialogues across all DENR stakeholders; share stakeholders’ experiences of working with different national government agencies; foster partnership among stakeholders; and identify multi-stakeholder initiatives that apply science, technology and innovation to achieve unique values across different sectors.
“The road ahead will be long and it will be tough, but we must stay strong and accept that it will be a battle that we all must wage, and even more importantly, it’s a battle that we must win. In this collective fight, we are not soldiers; we are stewards. There will be no weapons to use; only behaviors and practices to improve upon,” President Marcos Jr. ended in his remarks.
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