Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega delivers a special message on the 40th anniversary of the Convention on Conservation Migratory Species of Wild Animals (photo: Berlin PE)

The Philippines, as host of the 12^th Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) also known as the Bonn Convention, delivered a special message at the commemoration of the 40^th anniversary of the signing of the Convention at an event held at the German Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety on 24 June 2019.

Philippine Ambassador to Germany, Theresa Dizon-De Vega joined the German Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety Svenja Schulze, Federal Foreign Office Director General Miguel Berger, CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel, CMS Standing Committee Chair Mr. Øystein Størkersen, and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy in Germany Paramita Tripathi in delivering remarks to an audience of German and United Nations officials and members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega thanked the CMS states parties and the Secretariat for their support during the Philippines’ presidency of the 12^th CMS Conference of States Parties (COP-12) held from 22-28 October 2017 in Manila. In particular, she cited approval of the Manila Declaration On Sustainable Development and Migratory Species.

The Declaration acknowledges the significant contribution of migratory wildlife to sustainable development, especially in the areas of agriculture, forestry, fisheries, tourism, energy, transport, and trade.

She likewise acknowledged the COP-12’s adoption of the resolutions proposed by the Philippines, including the listing of the butan-ding or whale shark and four other migratory species frequenting the country on the CMS appendices.

The Philippine hosting was the first CMS-COP held in Asia and broke previous attendance records with 1,000 delegates from 93 countries.

For her part, Minister Schulze issued a clarion call for concerted efforts to campaign for more countries to join the ranks of States Parties to the Convention with the hope of achieving at least 150 members by the time the Convention turns 50 years old a decade from now.

The Philippines is one of 128 States Parties to the Convention and is considered one of the most active advocates for its implementation. The CMS Secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany.

The States Parties to the CMS are expected to build on the gains at the Manila COP-12 Meeting when they reconvene for the 13^th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention in Gandhinagar, India from 17-22 February 2019. END

1st photo: L-R CMS Exe. Dir Amy Fraenkel, Minister Svenja Schulze, Director General Berger, Amb. Dizon-De Vega, Ms. Tripathi, Mr. Størkersen; 2nd photo: L-R Amb. Dizon-De Vega, Ms. Fraenkel, Ms. Tripathi (photo: Berlin PE)

Senator Legarda (center) and Amb. Dizon-De Vega (right) with Ms. Künast at the Bundestag. Photo by Berlin PE

Senator Loren Legarda, highlighted the Philippines’ environmental protection efforts in her meeting last June 20 with German parliamentarian Renate Künast, member of the Green Party and Chair of the Bundestag’s German-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The Senator informed Ms. Künast that the Philippines, a country extremely vulnerable to climate change, has made great strides in developing a comprehensive legislative framework to address the issue of environmental degradation.

They discussed their experiences in environmental policy-making and best practices in both countries. The Senator also gave an overview of the major pieces of legislation that she authored that are currently in force in the Philippines, such as the Clean Air Act, Climate Change Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System, among others.

For her part, Ms. Künast shared Germany’s plan to phase out nuclear power and coal-fired power plants by 2022 and 2038, respectively.

The two parliamentarians were also one in advocating sustainable production of food and other consumer items, and the need to transform how human beings live for the sake of the environment.

Ms. Künast was particularly impressed with exquisite Philippine handicrafts and fabrics, as well as the protection afforded by the Philippine Government, through the Intellectual Property Office, against unmitigated commercialization of indigenous culture.

Ambassador Maria Theresa Dizon-De Vega, who accompanied Senator Legarda to the meeting, also took the opportunity to apprise Ms. Künast of the positive developments in the Philippines, particularly on the economy and the Government’s social programs.

Ms. Künast said that there is indeed a need to provide further information on the Philippines to give the German public a fuller picture, which would, hopefully, facilitate further positive engagement between the Philippines and Germany.

The Senator, meanwhile, invited Ms. Künast and the German-ASEAN Parliamentary Friendship Group to see the developments in the Philippines firsthand.

Senator Legarda and Ms. Künast concluded their extensive discussion with a commitment to look into the possibility of working on special projects together in the near future. END