The Philippines will unveil an integrated Trade-Climate Strategy by November, outlining a framework to align domestic policies, boost trade competitiveness, and ensure key sectors are regulatory-ready.
The Philippine Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) told the Inquirer that it will launch the integrated Trade-Climate Strategy at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Turkey this November.
‘The collaboration between the public and private sectors improves because the government cannot handle everything alone, and the private sector needs the government’s support for new developments,’ said Ambassador Manuel Antonio Teehankee, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO.
Teehankee said the coordinated policy framework, which has been in the works for two years, does not intend to propose an agenda from a single sector.
‘Most governments are now evolving interagency, whole-of-government coordination approaches. They recognize that teamwork leads to better results, rather than allowing one department to prioritize differently from another,’ the envoy said on the sidelines of the WTO Public Forum.
The coordinated policy framework focuses on priority value chains such as energy, agriculture and fisheries, electronics, and services and creative industries.
Teehankee said the strategy emphasizes stronger public-private partnerships and interdepartmental coordination. It covers finance, government regulation, domestic trade incentives, regulations and policies.
‘Part of what I think the strategy wants to do is to look at providing us sort of that regulatory readiness, not just improving our regulatory environment domestically, but positioning our companies so that they’re ready to export into key markets,’ said Gabriel Bautista, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the WTO.
Teehankee highlighted the strategy’s main findings, stating that the Philippines is well-positioned for global growth in certification procedures, which creates further opportunities for the service sector.
Bautista said the integrated Trade-Climate Strategy is undergoing review after receiving comments and feedback from agencies and stakeholders.
Philippine government officials announced that they will launch the strategy abroad and implement it locally in coordination with partner agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Trade and Industry.