Following Macron-Marcos conversation, France vows more cooperation with Philippines on global commons and protection of marine biodiversity
French President Emmanuel Macron and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held a phone conversation on September 17, 2022, where they discussed energy security, food security, defense, human exchanges, the French Indo-Pacific strategy, international maritime law, and the challenges of preserving biodiversity and the oceans. The two presidents then met at the sidelines of the 77 the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 21, 2022.
On October 6, 2022, French Ambassador to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz invited Philippine Senator Loren Legarda, Asian Development Bank (ADB) French Representative Anne Marchal, and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Bénédicte Gazon to discuss with media and non-governmental organizations the recent exchanges between French President Emmanuel Macron and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The media event focused on global commons, one of the four pillars of the French Indo-Pacific strategy.
“This encounter was very much about our vision of the Indo-Pacific strategy. This is an area where we are part and parcel, we are part of the Indo-Pacific, we are neighbor countries to the Philippines and our priorities in the Indo-Pacific completely fit with the priorities of the government,” Ambassador Boccoz said.
During the event, Senator Legarda announced that the Philippines will join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which is co-chaired by France and Costa-Rica, after a discussion with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Senator Legarda also thanked the ADB and the AFD for their investments in ocean health and blue economy, which have been part of the senator’s advocacy – “to promote cleaner oceans through the reduction of plastics and other pollutants; and to ensure marine resource sustainability and livelihood
security in coastal communities.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Marchal highlighted ADB’s goal to become “the climate bank for Asia and the Pacific” with its announcement in 2021 to spend $100 billion in climate finance by 2030.
“As an example, ADB is currently rolling out in the Philippines its first dedicated climate change policy- based loan ($250 million co-financed with the Agence Française de Développement). ADB is dedicating a part of this financing to oceans protection. The bank has launched in 2019 the Healthy Ocean Action Plan with the objective to spend $5 billion by 2024 on ocean’s protection projects,” Ms. Marchal said.
For AFD, Ms. Gazon emphasized the French development agency’s strong cooperation with Philippines, not only on climate, but also in the field of natural disaster response. A 10-year partnership culminated with a €250 million loan at the end of 2021 Disaster Risk Reduction: New Support for localities in the Philippines. In addition, the French Facility for Global Environment has two innovative projects ongoing in the Philippines, on marine biodiversity: Shark Fin Bay, an innovation laboratory for the restoration of coral reef biodiversity and a project called “Linking green and gray infrastructures to strengthen coastal resilience to climate events.”
