PH, GGGI Ink Host Country Agreement in Historic Virtual Signing Ceremony

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. (left) and Global Green Growth Institute Director-General Dr. Frank J. Rijsberman (right) hold the signed Host Country Agreement between the Philippines and GGGI in a virtual signing ceremony held today. (Photo captured from Zoom)

PASAY CITY 18 JUNE 2020 – In a virtual ceremony held today, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Director-General Dr. Frank Rijsberman, signed in Manila, Philippines, and Seoul, Republic of Korea, respectively, the Host Country Agreement (HCA) between the Philippines and the GGGI.

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines and the GGGI agreed to hold the virtual signing ceremony where the agreement was signed simultaneously in two locations, making it the first virtual signing ceremony in the history of both the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the GGGI.

The HCA will formalize and facilitate the GGGI’s presence, operations and activities in the Philippines. It also aims to enhance the Philippines’ partnership with the GGGI, which has been extending technical and financial assistance to the country since 2012 to support the Philippines’ goal in transitioning to a more sustainable, climate resilient, and inclusive green growth.

In his remarks during the ceremony, Secretary Locsin expressed appreciation to the GGGI for extending valuable support to the Philippines since 2012, even without a formal HCA. He noted that the GGGI has facilitated some USD10 million worth of financial and technical assistance to the country’s growth projects and has mainstreamed and integrated climate change sensitive policies into public consciousness and national plans.

In response, Dr. Rijsberman conveyed the GGGI’s readiness to support and work with the Philippine government to green the recovery package for COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to continue advancing economic growth that is environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and delivers green jobs that the Filipinos need.

The GGGI, with headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea, is an international treaty-based organization, dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. The Philippines became one of GGGI’s founding members in 2012.

Since 2012, the GGGI has partnered with various national government agencies including the Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), and the Climate Change Commission (CCC), as well as local government units such as those in Palawan, Oriental Mindoro and Bataan, in advancing the country’s green growth and climate-resilience ambitions.

The GGGI’s continued assistance to the Philippines in the coming years is embodied in its (1) Country Planning Framework (CPF) 2021-2025, a five-year planning framework between GGGI and its member countries; and the (2) Country Business Plan (CBP) 2021-2022, a two-year action plan that outlines GGGI’s priority programs to be implemented in the Philippines.

Officials from the DFA and the GGGI were present to witness the virtual signing ceremony. END

Foreign Affairs Secretary Locsin (left) and GGGI Director-General Frank Rijsberman (right) simultaneously sign the HCA between the Philippines and the GGGI. (Photo captured from Zoom)

Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the GGGI join Secretary Locsin and Director-General Rijsberman in a photo to commemorate the ceremony. Left photo: Joining Foreign Affairs Secretary Locsin is Assistant Secretary Igor Bailen of the DFA-Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs. Right photo: (seated, from left) Ambassador Hyoeun Jenny Kim, GGGI Deputy Director-General; Dr. Frank Rijsberman; Mr. Gerard O’Donoghue, Assistant Director-General and Head of Green Growth Planning and Implementation; (standing, from left) Mr. Hyon Sang Ahn, Senior Specialist for External Relations and Outreach; Mr. Juhern Kim, Country Director for the Philippines, Ms. Jin Young Kim, Director for Asia; and Mr. Cristobal Agravante, Legal Counsel. (Photos captured from Zoom)

(Photos by Nilo Palaya)