The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) conducted the “Course on Climate Change” on 6, 11, 13, 18, and 20 July 2023. This 5-day introductory training initiative aimed to equip the thirty-three (33) participants from the Home Office (HO), Consular Offices (CO), Philippine Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) (Kuwait, Dubai, Hanoi, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Vancouver), and FSI with vital and timely knowledge on climate justice and its intersection with social and political landscapes.  The series of synchronous sessions encapsulated relevant data and information on the current climate situation,  its linkage with diplomacy and policy-making, and its varying effects on the economy, health, and intersection with gender equality.

Experts from various government departments and from a non-governmental organization presented in-depth and grassroot analyses on the legal and policy frameworks and responses to climate change.  The speakers’ diverse field of expertise brought both unique and interlocking perspectives, enabling the participants to understand climate change science, and the complexity of the factors affecting climate change and its consequences to the environment and human life.

Course on Climate Change (2023) participants during the opening session, with Dr. Susan Mercado, Co-Chair of the National Panel of Technical Experts from the Climate Change Commission (first row, fifth tile from the left).
Dr. Marcelino U. Siladay, Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager for Environmental Services for Climate Change and DRRM for the Agricultural, Aquatic, and Natural Resources sectors of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARD) (left tile) and Ms. Gigi Merilo, Senior Environmental Management Specialist of the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (right tile) takes questions from the participants to discuss adaptation opportunities, challenges, and the resiliency of Filipinos.