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Bonn, Germany
June 14, 2022

Secretary Robert Borje of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) met Executive Director Philipp Berrens and Deputy Head Barbara Schäffer of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) — one of the key instruments of the German Federal Government to support international climate action and biodiversity — on the sidelines of the 56th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 56) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the World Conference Center in Bonn, Germany on June 14, 2022.
 
Secretary Borje underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation in further building the capacities and resiliencies of vulnerable countries and stressed that the Philippines-Germany partnership is pointing to a modality of collaboration that can help achieve global objectives for the climate change agenda. 
 
The Philippines is among the priority countries of IKI. The IKI provides support to countries on areas of mitigation, adaptation, conservation of biological diversity, and conservation of natural carbon sinks with a focus on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).
 
During the meeting, IKI expressed its continued support to the new leadership of the CCC, and  the Government of the Philippines. 
 
The IKI, through the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), is currently working on three (3) projects in the Philippines: 1) SupportCCC II Project, 2) South-South Collaboration on Climate Information Services (SSCIS) Project, and 3) TRANSCEND Project.
 
Secretary Borje led the Philippines’ participation to the SB56 together with Deputy Head of Delegation, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla, and representatives from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
 
SB56 is the lead up to the 27th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UNFCCC, which is scheduled on November 6 to 18, 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.