Scaling up biodiversity finance, ensuring investments support, and strengthening international technical cooperation are the urgent priorities that the Philippines pressed on the global stage during the Leaders’ Summit of the United Nations 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Yerevan, Armenia yesterday, October 16.
Representing President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Juan Miguel T. Cuna delivered the Country Statement. He highlighted turning ambition into measurable outcomes which require immediate global action across three core areas: aligning financial flows with nature, scaling up biodiversity finance from all sources, and boosting international cooperation, capacity-building, and technical support.
“The Summit’s call to be ‘Leaders for Nature’ is a timely reminder that our leadership must be measured not only by the commitments we make, but by the actions we take, the resources we mobilize, and the lasting impact we deliver for nature and people,” Secretary Cuna declared during the plenary session.
Highlighting that nature protection must serve as a key driver of sustainable development and resilience, the environment chief stated: “For the Philippines, biodiversity conservation is not merely an environmental imperative. It is a national development priority and a fundamental investment in our people’s well-being, economic security and resilience.”
As a country endowed with exceptional biodiversity, the Philippines recognized both its ecological wealth and its role in protecting it. “As an archipelagic and megadiverse country, the Philippines recognizes both the immense value of our natural heritage and our responsibility to protect it,” Secretary Cuna noted.
To translate global targets into concrete action, the secretary explained the importance of the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) 2024–2040. “This translates our global commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into coherent national priorities, measurable targets and coordinated action across sectors,” he said.
Complementing this framework, the Philippines developed its national Biodiversity Finance Plan to identify funding needs, boost domestic resources, and attract public and private investment.
Emphasizing that success requires broad participation across all sectors, the environment secretary underscored the nation’s whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, adding that “biodiversity conservation is a shared responsibility that extends beyond environmental institutions.”
In closing, Secretary Cuna urged world leaders to commit to an enduring legacy for future generations. “Let us leave a legacy in which nature is not simply protected for future generations, but recognized and valued as the foundation of our shared prosperity, resilience and sustainable development,” he concluded.
CBD COP 17 The Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity serves as a key high-level precursor to the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Convening 196 member nations, COP 17 focuses on evaluating global implementation, financial mobilization, and national progress under the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
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