2010 LGU Commitment
LGU SUMMIT +3i (LUZON)
in Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation to Development Processes

As primary duty bearers in addressing the impacts of climate change, we, Provincial Officials of the Philippines, declare the following premises as basis for common ground and collective action:

 The Philippines, due to its location and geographic landscape, is highly vulnerable to climate change, with over 90 million people facing threats from more intense tropical cyclones, extreme rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and increasing temperatures, which will seriously affect most aspects of livelihood, continue to hinder socio-economic development and limit their options for the future;

 It is unequivocal that climate change will have serious implications on the country’s efforts to address poverty and realize sustainable development for current and future generations-ultimately making climate change an issue of intergenerational equity;

 These projected impacts will heavily affect local populations and their physical and socio-economic support systems;

 The local governments and their constituents are frontliners in the efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but face challenges in terms of inadequate investment, unresponsive government policies, lack of commitment, disaster and climate change risks;

 Increasing the country’s local capacity to implement adaptation measures to ensure attainment of local development agenda is vital for meeting the MDG targets by 2015;

 The recently adopted National Framework Strategy on Climate Change (NFSCC) needs to be translated into a National Action Plan, the implementation of which should cascade to the local levels;

 The Local Government Code of 1991 provides for the powerful role of LGUs in implementing critical local actions such as disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

 These tasks require the development and strengthening of LGU capacities as frontliners in the struggle against climate change and meeting the challenge of achieving the MDGs; and

 Many development partners such as the United Nations System have committed to support the Philippines in its efforts to strengthen its capacities to address disaster and climate change risks.
Therefore, we, the Provincial Government Officials, hereby commit ourselves to developing the resilience and adaptive capacities of our peoples to the adverse impacts of climate change, using the precautionary principle, by:

 Determining our provinces’ vulnerabilities to the multi-hazards, including those brought on by climate change through a risk-based approach;
Systematically mainstreaming climate change and disaster risk reduction measures resulting from our vulnerability and adaptation (V and A) assessments into our policies, plans, programmes and regulatory processes;

 Supporting capacity building programmes for local staff to increase their competencies in assessing vulnerabilities, and socioeconomic impacts, and identifying adaptation measures that would increase resilience of their local development interventions;

 Participating in the formulation and implementation of the National Action Plan on Climate Change pursuant to the Climate Change Framework

 Ensuring that the mainstreaming process will result in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets by 2015;

 Raising the awareness of our peoples on climate change and disaster risk issues;

 Improving our peoples’ competencies on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through continuing education in centers of excellence like the Climate Change Academy and learning by doing initiatives;

 Facilitating the sharing of experiences and indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction approaches and their impacts on the attainment of MDGs among our constituents;

 Providing leadership in decision-making and implementation of critical inter-sectoral disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation measures; and

 Establishing the enabling environment for inclusive partnerships among LGUs and their respective constituents, as well as, development partners who would promote anticipatory climate change adaptation and facilitate MDG achievement by 2015.