Philippine Reports to the UNFCCC and International Bodies

The Philippines, as a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in line with its signing and ratification of the Convention on 12 June 1992 and 02 August 1994 respectively and the Paris Agreement on 23 March 2017, is bound to prepare national reports to the UNFCCC. At the international level, the CCC represents the Philippines in activities related to the UNFCCC. This includes the preparation and submission of national reports to the UNFCCCC

These national reports consist of the National Communications (NCs), Biennial Update Reports (BURs), and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs).

National Communications

National Communications (NCs) communicate the progress and needs of Parties to the UNFCCC in the implementation and achievement of the ultimate objectives of the Convention. Annex I and non-Annex I Parties of the UNFCCC are mandated, under Article 4 paragraph 1 and Article 12 paragraph 1, to provide information on their efforts to address climate change NCs, which are submitted every four (4) years.

Click here (link to NC Tab) or check out the tab above to know more about NCs and submissions by the Philippines.

Biennial Update Reports

Similar to the National Communication (NC), Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 Parties of the UNFCCC are to submit a report on updates of the information presented in their NCs through Biennial Update Reports (BURs) pursuant to UNFCCC COP Decision 1/CP.16, Decision 2/CP.17 and Annex III of Decision 2/CP.17. The first BUR was required to be submitted by December 2014, or consistent with the Country Party's capability or level of support received, and every two years thereafter as a summary of their NC or as a stand-alone report. The submission of last BURs is in 2024 per UNFCCC COP Decision 1/CP.21, par. 98, as BURs will be superseded by Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) in line with the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement.

Click here (link to BUR tab) or check out the tab above to know more about BURs and status of the Philippine First BUR.

Biennial Transparency Reports

Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) are detailed reports of all Parties to the UNFCCC on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, submitted every two (2) years beginning in 2024. These supersede the preparation of BURs by 2024 per UNFCCC Decision 1/CP.21, par. 98, as BTRs serve as enhancements to BUR preparation by improving consistency and comparability of reporting across all Parties in line with the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement. Unlike differentiated reporting for non-Annex 1 and Annex 1 Parties to the UNFCCC through their BURs and Biennial Reports (BRs) respectively, BTRs shall be submitted by all country Parties, and thus shall have common reporting requirements, templates, and timeframes, with some areas for flexibility considerations for developing country Parties.

Click here (link to BTR tab) or check out the tab above to know more about BTRs and the status of BTR preparations in the Philippines.

Additionally, Parties submit their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Nationally Determined Contributions

The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is the heart of the Paris Agreement, the global climate change regime that was agreed at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 12 December 2015. Under Article 4, paragraph 2 of the Paris Agreement, Parties are required to submit their post-2020 climate policies and measures to contribute to achieving the long-term goal of keeping global temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels or even further to 1.5°C.

Click here (link to NDC tab) or check out the tab above to know more about NDCs and the first NDC submission of the Philippines.

National Adaptation Plans

Under the Cancun Adaptation Framework (CAF), Parties are invited to plan, prioritize, and implement adaptation actions, projects, and programmes, with a view of enhancing adaptation actions taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and specific national and regional development priorities, objectives and circumstances. These adaptation actions, projects, and programmes are outlined in national adaptation plans (NAPs) per UNFCCC Decision 1/CP.16, which are to be prepared by least developed countries and developing countries.

National Communications

National Communications (NCs) communicate the progress and needs of Parties to the UNFCCC in the implementation and achievement of the ultimate objectives of the Convention. Annex I and non-Annex I Parties of the UNFCCC are mandated, under Article 4 paragraph 1 and Article 12 paragraph 1, to provide information on their efforts to address climate change NCs, which are submitted every four (4) years. The Philippines, as a non-Annex I Party to the UNFCCC, has submitted two (2) National Communications in 2000 and 2014. The preparation of the Initial National Communication (INC) was led by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in its capacity as the Secretariat of the then Interagency Committee on Climate Change (IACCC), the former Philippines’ focal point to the UNFCCC. DENR-EMB has initiated the preparations for the Second National Communication (SNC) and handed over to the Climate Change Commission (CCC) for finalization. Interagency teams were constituted for the compilation of the two reports, with support from the academe and civil society organizations. The Philippines accessed support from the GEF in the preparation of the two national communications.

The INC covered the reporting requirements under the initial guidelines provided by the UNFCCC under Articles 4, 10, and 12 of the UNFCCC Text and Decision 10/CP.2 and included a reference manual and worksheets for the 1994 GHG inventory of the Philippines. Click here to view the Philippines’ Initial National Communication.

Figure 4

The coverage of the SNC, thereafter, expanded, as a result of an update of guidelines from the UNFCCC under Decisions 8/CP.5; 32/CP.7, and Decision 17/CP.8 and its Annex, and as well as developments on climate change initiatives and policies in the Philippines. Click here to view the Philippines’ Second National Communication.


Figure 6

 

Biennial Update Reports

Similar to the National Communication (NC), Annex 1 and non-Annex 1 Parties of the UNFCCC are to submit a report on updates of the information presented in their NCs through Biennial Update Reports (BURs) pursuant to UNFCCC COP Decision 1/CP.16, Decision 2/CP.17 and Annex III of Decision 2/CP.17. The first BUR was required to be submitted by December 2014, or consistent with the Country Party's capability or level of support received, and every two years thereafter as a summary of their NC or as a stand-alone report. The submission of last BURs is in 2024 per UNFCCC COP Decision 1/CP.21, par. 98, as BURs will be superseded by Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) in line with the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement.

Since 2012, the Philippines has been gearing up to enhance its national reporting processes and institutional arrangements. The Climate Change Commission has initiated various strategies aimed at strengthening capacities and defining institutional arrangements in the preparation of BURs. Access to over 54 capacity building activities supported by various development partners and the UNFCCC were facilitated by the CCC to equip agencies with the technical capacities on GHG inventory preparation, mitigation analysis, MRV, and transparency and reporting under the UNFCCC. These were also coupled with the development of tools and knowledge products focused on various aspects of national reporting. Additionally, representatives from sectoral lead agencies participated the country’s official delegates to relevant trainings provided by the IPCC and the CGE.

4ps

Figure 4 Rationale for Transparency in Climate Action and Support in the Philippines


The Philippines has been taking major strides in setting-up mechanisms for reporting, following the submission of the first two NCs. After all, apart from complying with UNFCCC requirements, the Philippines ultimately views reporting and their related mechanisms and data/information outputs as supportive and facilitative of: (1) tracking progress of climate action and support, (2) formulating policies on climate change, (3) promotion of convergence among agencies, stakeholders, partners, and other actors, and (4) identification of needs for the provision of finance.

The creation of the Philippine Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management Reporting System (PGHGIMRS) in 2014 via Executive Order No. 174 is among the landmark policies of the country on reporting. It responded to the gaps and needs surfaced by the agencies in the preparation of GHG inventory reports by serving as the enabling environment for its conduct, articulating institutional arrangements including roles and deliverables, and allocating where funding shall be sourced. The agency leads per sector i.e., the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for Forestry, Industrial Processes and Product Use and Waste; Department of Energy (DOE) for Energy, Department of Transportation (DOTr) for Transport; and the Department of Agriculture and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for Agriculture, also created their sectoral GHG inventory teams constituted through their agency’s policy issuances. As an enabling framework for GHG inventory preparation, the policy enhanced coordination and collaboration among agency members and rationalized the identification and provision of support needs, all towards sustaining gains and improving reports. Also in line with improvements, a number of tools were developed by the CCC as the PGHGIMIRS Secretariat: EO 174 Guidance Document; Sectoral GHGI Templates; GHG Data Checklist; QA/QC Critical Fixes Tool; and QA/QC Stocktake Tool. The National Integrated Climate Change Database and Information Exchange System (NICCDIES) set up and launched in May 2018, is the Philippines’ first digital transparency system for climate action and support. As a system for transparency, is serves as the primary enabling platform of the CCC in consolidating and monitoring, among other things, data and information on climate change and climate action from sources and actors coming from both public and private sector and other stakeholders, allowing for decision-makers to access, distribute, and exchange these data for use in policymaking, development planning, and investment decision-making. Further, it is one of the strategies of the CCC in line with the government’s shift to e-governance.  As the country’s engine for domestic MRV, it operationalizes the feedback mechanism of planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of climate-related policies and measures. Currently, the CCC is digitizing the entire operational processes and contents on Philippine Greenhouse Gas Inventory Management & Reporting System; National and Local Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET); Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAP) database for monitoring and tracking; and MRV of GHG Inventory, mitigation actions, and means of implementation.

Fig 6

Figure 6. NICCDIES contents and relationships with planning and reporting

On tracking domestic resources for climate action, the Philippines has institutionalized Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET) for climate public budgets at the national and subnational levels. Following the Climate Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (CPEIR) study supported by World Bank and in an effort to mainstream climate budget tagging in the budget cycle of the government, a joint issuance was forged between DBM and CCC through DBM-CCC JMC 2013-01 amended by JMC 2015-01, mandating the national government agencies (NGAs), state universities and colleges (SUCs), and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) to track climate change related expenditures. In 2014, a joint issuance among CCC, DBM and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was released to provide guidance to local governments in tagging their climate change adaptation and mitigation programs in their annual investment plans (AIP), through 2015 DBM-DILG-CCC JMC 2014-01, amended by JMC2015-01. Data and information from CCET support assessment of resource needs and informs the development of climate policies, plans, and programs.

Building on the policies and initiatives being implemented on planning, monitoring, and tracking adaptation measures, GHG emissions, mitigation actions, and means of implementation, and harnessing the gains from enhanced technical capacities and institutional arrangements, the preparation of the Philippine First BUR will be prepared through domestic resources. Previously, work on the INC and SNC were largely supported by a team of consultants in coordination with relevant agencies. This time, ministries will be taking on lead roles in tandem with technical expert backstopping. Further, the involvement of stakeholder groups will be enhanced to ensure inclusivity and strengthen transparency in the preparation of the BUR. The CCC has also developed several tools to support agencies in preparing the BUR: the BUR Handbook and the BUR Reporting Templates.


Biennial Transparency Reports

Biennial Transparency Reports (BTR) are detailed reports of all Parties to the UNFCCC on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, submitted every two (2) years beginning in 2024. These supersede the preparation of BURs by 2024 per UNFCCC Decision 1/CP.21, par. 98, as BTRs serve as enhancements to BUR preparation by improving consistency and comparability of reporting across all Parties in line with the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement. Unlike differentiated reporting for non-Annex 1 and Annex 1 Parties to the UNFCCC through their BURs and Biennial Reports (BRs) respectively, BTRs shall be submitted by all country Parties, and thus shall have common reporting requirements, templates, and timeframes, with some areas for flexibility considerations for developing country Parties.

Nationally Determined Contributions

The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is the heart of the Paris Agreement (PA), the global climate change regime that was agreed at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 12 December 2015. The NDC is the Country’s long-term development plan towards a climate-resilient and low-carbon future. It communicates the Philippines’ actions to help achieve the PA goal of limiting global average temperature increase to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. The NDC shall also promote the country’s economic development and industrialization goals while contributing to the global efforts to stabilize the earth’s climate.

As party to the convention, the Philippines communicated its first NDC on 15 April 2021, which was formally adopted through Commission Resolution No. 2021-001  signed by the President.

The NDC elaborates the country’s mitigation measures and target, based on national needs and priorities, circumstances and capacities, and optimal investment opportunities. It is anchored on the principles of climate justice and common but differentiated responsibilities between developed and developing nations.  Further, it supports the country’s national development objectives and priorities of sustainable industrial development, poverty eradication and inclusive growth, energy security, and social and climate justice, gender equality, and the transformation of its socio-economic sectors towards a climate and disaster-resilient and low carbon economy. Under the NDC, the Philippines’ commits to a projected GHG emissions reduction and avoidance of 75%, composed of 2.71% unconditional (using nation’s resources) and 72.29% conditional (using Means of Implementation to be provided by Developed Countries). This commitment is referenced against a projected business-as-usual cumulative economy-wide emission from the sectors of agriculture, wastes, industry, transport, and energy. It also communicates the country’s adaptation needs and priorities, and intent to explore international cooperation and market and non-market mechanisms consistent with national circumstances and sustainable development aspirations.

National Adaptation Plans

THE NATIONAL ADAPTATION PROCESS

As a highly vulnerable developing country, the Philippines considers climate adaptation as a primary approach and necessary component in development planning. The Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meanwhile recognizes that national planning can aid countries in determining their vulnerabilities, in mainstreaming climate change risks, and in addressing adaptation.

Within the broader context of sustainable development planning, the UNFCCC established the national adaptation plan (NAP) process as a way to facilitate adaptation planning, with the following objectives:

  • To reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience;
  • To facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate.

Under the Paris Agreement[1], Parties are encouraged to “engage in adaptation planning processes and implement adaptation actions, including the development or enhancement of relevant plans, policies and/or contributions,” including formulating and implementing national adaptation plans.

The NAP process allows countries to address their medium- and long-term adaptation needs, building on a country-driven, gender-sensitive, participatory, and fully transparent approach.

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN (NAP) 2023-2050

In 2023, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), with support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (UK-FCDO) and British Embassy Manila (BEM), and assistance from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as technical partner of the UK-FCDO / BEM, developed a multi-hazard, multi-sectoral NAP for the Philippines that will guide the prioritization of actions at the national and subnational level. 

The Philippines’ NAP aims to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change by building the adaptive capacity and resilience of the country and facilitating the integration of climate change adaptation into new and existing policies, programs, and government activities. 

Specifically, the NAP aims to:

  • Identify priority high-risk climate change vulnerable areas in the Philippines, based on solid data and evidence, which will then serve as the basis for conducting detailed risk assessments and developing adaptation programs;
  • Provide guidance on integrating adaptation considerations into planning, coordination, and implementation processes at all levels of government and across society and ecosystems, and
  • Harmonize national strategies with international commitments for developing robust medium- and long-term adaptation plans to build the country’s adaptive capacity and resilience. 

The NAP development process pursued the National Climate Risk Management Framework (NCRMF) - undertake risk profiling, assessment, and management needed to increase the adaptive capacity of communities. 

It employed a country-driven, gender-responsive, participatory, and intensive multi-stakeholder approach to ensure that views and inputs from all stakeholders were considered and incorporated into the NAP. The consultative process involved more than 25 local scientists and experts from various academic fields (physical and social sciences), 27 national government agencies, representatives from the academe, the private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), and development partners.  

The Philippine NAP builds on the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP), serving as the basis for identifying the 8 key sector outcomes[2] as pillars for adaptation actions for societal well-being, stability, and economic resilience. The NAP outlines the country’s strategies and approaches in implementing climate change adaptation initiatives and measures, both at the national and subnational level, and key cross-cutting enablers to mobilize climate action towards enhancing the country’s adaptive capacities and resilience. 

The NAP identifies four key climatic impact drivers (CIDs)—climate conditions that affect the country’s social and ecological vulnerabilities. These are: 

  • Increased temperatures and drought;
  • Sea level rise and extreme sea levels;
  • Extreme precipitation; and
  • Extreme wind and tropical cyclones.

These were determined based on historical and climate trends as well as extreme events, and identifying them is crucial in charting specific measures to address potential climate losses and damages. The CIDs were identified in consultation with national climate experts (i.e., the National Panel of Technical Experts and Consultative Group of Experts for the Philippines’ NAP development) and validated by the NAP National Steering Committee Agencies, specifically the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).



[1] ADOPTION OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT - Paris Agreement text English (unfccc.int)

[2] Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Security, Water Resources, Health, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Cultural Heritage, Population Displacement, and Migration, Land Use and Human Settlements, Livelihoods and Industries, and Energy, Transport, and Communications