PH Strengthens Partnership with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu and ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim (center, front) with DFA and ACB personnel. [Photo credit: ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity]
PASAY CITY 02 March 2022 – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel R. Espiritu affirmed the Philippines’ commitment to work with the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) during his official working visit to the institution on 01 March 2022.
During the visit, Assistant Secretary Espiritu met with ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim and ACB officials to discuss major initiatives and projects of the ACB across the region and with external partners including the European Union.
The Assistant Secretary said that the Centre is well-placed to foster international cooperation within and outside the Southeast Asian region and noted the increasing importance of biodiversity conservation as an issue of public concern, with the COVID-19 pandemic clearly highlighting the link between protecting public health and ensuring proper biodiversity management.
ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita Lim expressed her appreciation for the Philippines’ and DFA’s support. She highlighted the numerous knowledge products and contributions that the ACB has provided over its 17 years of service, including online resources such as the ASEAN Clearing House Mechanism and the ASEAN Biodiversity Dashboard, both of which consolidate and organize data on regional biodiversity.
The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) is an intergovernmental organization and regional centre of excellence established in 2005 to support the ASEAN Member States in protecting and conserving their unique and valuable biodiversity resources and is the only ASEAN Centre of Excellence hosted by the Philippines, with its headquarters located in Los Baños, Laguna.
It regularly releases the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook, which assesses progress based on drivers of biodiversity loss, including climate change, overexploitation and pollution; maintains the ASEAN Strides database, an online repository summarizing ASEAN’s collective positions on biodiversity; and serves as the secretariat for the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHP) Programme, which manages selected protected areas in the Southeast Asian region known for their unique biodiversity. Currently, 50 areas have been designated as AHPs, with nine of these also designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. END
Asst. Sec. Espiritu (4th from left) visits the Makiling Botanical Gardens with DFA and ACB personnel. [Photo credit: ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity]