Baguio City, one of the country’s major tourist destinations, pledged to pursue its own sustainability goals and work for a circular economy.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong vowed to keep a green tourism program and stressed the importance of waste-to-resource initiatives, adding they are part of the core elements of the city’s sustainability pursuit.
Baguio stakeholders from the local government unit (LGU) and academe to civil society groups gathered at a work planning session to refine actions in partnership with the Green LGUs Project of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The workshop and action plans align with the strategic objectives of the EU Green Economy Program in the Philippines spearheaded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The city government is pushing plastics circularity in communities, green tourism and sustainable food systems for implementation in the succeeding years.
Donna Tabangin, city planning, development and sustainability officer and the action officer of the Local Circular Economy Action Team, highlighted the significance of the collaborative effort. She noted that the outcomes of these discussions would play a pivotal role in shaping the lives and lifestyles of Baguio’s residents.
Funded by a €60 million (P3.67 billion) grant from the European Union, the Green Economy Program of the Philippines (GEPP) will run from 2023-2028 in collaboration with the national government, LGUs and the private sector.
The program links European and Filipino partners to foster a circular economy and the reduction of plastic waste. It also aims to improve energy efficiency, promote renewable energy use and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Using a whole-of-nation approach, the program is focused on sustainable and inclusive growth through investments, technology transfer and job creation.
GEPP is implemented by UNDP Philippines, Germany’s development agency GIZ, Expertise France with Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and International Finance Corp. of the World Bank Group.
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