Germany provides $42.2-M grant for climate change

MANILA – Germany has provided the Philippines a $42.2 million grant for various projects aimed at addressing climate change.

“The money that we are lucky to use, are tax payers’ money which is formed in a grant, which means that this is not an investment, there is no plowback, but it’s money made available for the Philippine government and the respective institutions. And that of course, is partnered with the money coming from the Philippines,” said Robert Kressirer, country director of the German Development Cooperation.

He said the fund comes from Germany’s International Climate Change Initiative and complements the existing development cooperation between Manila and Berlin.

The Philippines is a main partner of the ICI, which has a portfolio of more than 36 million euros in climate change projects.

“The Philippines is one of the few countries on where the Federal Ministry is very interested. They can’t do it with all 200 countries in the world, they can do it with probably about 10 countries and the Philippines is one of them,” said Kressirer.

The ICI receives funding from emission trading and thus represents an innovative financing mechanism to support partner countries in the area of climate protection.

“With the new funding above the regular overseas development assistance, the ICI is part of the Fast Start Finance Initiative decided after the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties 15 at Copenhagen in 2009,” said Kressirer.

ICI projects in the country are implemented by the Climate Change Commission, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the National Economic and Development Authority.

All projects are aligned with the country priorities in addressing climate change and consistent with the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009, the National Framework Strategy on Climate Change and the National Climate Change Action Plan. –Orti Despuez, InterAksyon.com