Pangasinan: Climate Week ended Friday, the Climate Change Commission (CCC) emphasized the importance of institutionalizing climate budget tagging systems to strengthen transparency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making for climate action. During the virtual Parallel Session on Climate Finance and Climate-Economy Modelling of the five-day ASEAN Climate Week, CCC vice chairperson and Executive Director Robert E.A. Borje said climate action must be treated not only as an ecological concern but also as a fiscal and economic discipline, requiring robust systems that guide public investment and planning.
According to Philippines News Agency, Borje highlighted the Philippines' Climate Change Expenditure Tagging (CCET) system as an essential tool for governments to identify, classify, and track climate-related expenditures, bringing structure and transparency into how governments account for climate action and align with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Sustainable Development Goals. 'At its core, CCET is about transparency and accountability. It allows our government to clearly report how public funds are utilized for climate action not only for compliance under the Enhanced Transparency Framework and the Biennial Transparency Reports, but to ensure that spending leads to measurable outcomes,' he said.
Borje said no country could build effective climate finance systems in isolation, pointing to the need for strong whole-of-government coordination among environment, finance, and planning institutions. Such coordination, he said, is essential to ensure coherence in climate policies and optimize the use of limited resources.
At the regional level, the CCC recognized ASEAN as a vital platform for knowledge exchange and capacity building, enabling Member States to share experiences, align approaches, and collectively strengthen climate finance frameworks. The session, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Finance (DOF) as part of the Philippines' ASEAN chairship in 2026, brought together senior officials and technical experts from across ASEAN to discuss climate finance tracking, fiscal planning, and climate-economy modeling.
The CCC reiterated that strengthening climate finance systems requires sustained collaboration, continuous improvement of data systems, and a shared commitment across institutions and countries to advance transparency and accountability in climate action. The ASEAN Climate Week, held from April 27 to May 1, aims to advance Nationally Determined Contributions, strengthen climate action through high-level dialogues, technical exchanges, and targeted training across ASEAN.
Held for the first time and hosted by the Philippines, ASEAN Climate Week underscores the country's role in advancing regional climate leadership and deepening collaboration among ASEAN Member States to address interconnected climate, energy, and development challenges. As the Philippines continues to champion climate governance and finance innovations, the CCC reaffirmed its commitment to working with ASEAN partners to scale up effective tools such as CCET and support the region's transition toward resilient, inclusive, and climate-smart development.
