Kuala Lumpur: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made a strong pitch for climate justice during the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, urging developed nations to contribute to the newly established Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), which the Philippines now hosts.

According to Philippines News Agency, Marcos highlighted the shared vulnerability of ASEAN and Gulf nations to the worsening impacts of climate change - from rising seas to extreme heat and biodiversity loss. He emphasized the importance of addressing climate change as a defining challenge of our time and pointed out the significant climate-related risks that both regions face, such as sea level rise, rising temperatures, desertification, and biodiversity loss.

Marcos underscored the Philippines' leadership role in climate finance by hosting the FRLD, a fund aimed at assisting vulnerable nations in coping with the irreversible losses caused by climate change, particularly in areas like agriculture, coastal infrastructure, and natural ecosystems. He encouraged contributions to the FRLD, highlighting Manila's hosting as a means to ensure faster and more direct access to crucial climate financing for developing nations.

He further explained that the Philippines' hosting of the FRLD would facilitate the unhindered access of developing nations to climate finance, aiding in the development and implementation of transformative and science-based strategies for climate change adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk management, ultimately ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth for all.

The governance of the FRLD involves a Board consisting of 26 members from the Conference of the Parties (COP) and Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA), with representation from both developed and developing country parties. The Philippines secured a seat on the Board as a permanent representative of the Asia-Pacific Group for 2024 and 2026 and as an alternate representative for 2025.