USAID to put up office in Zamboanga

THE U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Climate Resilient Cities Project is putting up an office in Zamboanga City, according to City Human Resource Management Officer Apple Go.

A photo released by the U.S. Embassy shows (from left) USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn and U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava join Finance Assistant Secretary Paola Alvarez, Philippine Climate Change Commission Commissioner Albert dela Cruz, and Catholic Relief Services Country Representative Karen Janes Ungar at the formal launch of the P750-million ($15 million) Climate Resilient Cities project.

Go said the project seeks to improve resilience by strengthening the capacities of cities to adapt to, mitigate and manage the impacts of climate change. She said former Assistant City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Engr. Ed Bisquera is the project team leader for Zamboanga. 

The project was formally launched in March in the Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Initially announced during the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in October 2021, the five-year, P750-million ($15 million) project will help cities adapt to, mitigate, and endure the impacts of climate change by increasing their access to climate financing and tools to build resilience. 

Through this project, the U.S. government will support local governments  and other stakeholders to better understand, use, and disseminate climate information to local communities. 

“Climate change is impacting people, communities, and nations all around the world. We believe that responding to the climate crisis is a shared mission between the U.S. and Philippine governments. We look forward to our collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure that resilience is built into the fabric of cities in the Philippines,” said U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava. 

The project will also help cities and nongovernment organizations access climate financing to increase community resilience and contribute to communities’ economic and social development, as well as support natural climate solutions that increase cities’ resilience to climate change impacts. 

The Philippines has committed to a projected greenhouse gas emission reduction and avoidance of 75% from 2020 to 2030 for the agriculture, wastes, industry, transport, and energy sectors. 

Working with USAID in the implementation of the project is Catholic Relief Services, together with its consortium partners the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, Conservation International, and Rocky Mountain Institute. 

The project supports the Philippine government’s National Climate Change Action Plan, Nationally Determined Contributions, and National Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Roadmap, and advances the U.S. government’s goal of tackling the climate crisis around the world. 

Climate Resilient Cities will also receive support from the government of the Republic of Korea, through the Korea International Cooperation Agency, as part of a joint partnership between the U.S. and Korean governments. (Zamboanga Post)