GOVPH

PHILIPPINE AMBASSADOR DIZON-DE VEGA ATTENDS MEETING WITH K-WATER CEO MR. YUN SEOG-DAE ON THE SIDELINES OF THE 4TH ASIA WATER COUNCIL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

26 July 2023 – Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, H.E. Theresa Dizon-De Vega, joined officials from the Embassies of Malaysia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Vietnam in a meeting with Mr. Yun Seog-dae, newly appointed CEO of Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water), on 07 July 2023 to discuss collaborative projects to strengthen capabilities and technological development in the water sector.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 4^th Asia Water Council (AWC) General Assembly and the kick-off event for the 3^rd Asia International Water Week (AIWW) from 06 to 08 July 2023 at the Songsan Global Education Research Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do. The three-day conference chaired and organized by K-Water was attended by more than 200 stakeholders from 50 Asian nations, including representatives from the Philippines led by MWSS Administrator Leonor Cleofas.  The conference discussed the continued operation of the AWC, solutions to Asia’s water problems as well as the council’s plans for the next three years.

At the 4^th General Assembly of the AWC, the council elected 29 new board members and K-Water CEO Mr. Yun as the 4^th Chairman of the AWC who will serve a three-year term until 2026.

The Philippines continues to establish strong partnerships and endeavors to cooperate with K-Water on various water sector development initiatives. END

PH JOINS ROUNDTABLE ON FACILITATING GLOBAL NET-ZERO WITH ROK MINISTER FOR TRADE AHN DUKGEUN

21 JULY 2023 - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega shared Philippine priorities on climate change cooperation with the Republic of Korea at a roundtable on facilitating global net-zero organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy on 21 July 2023. The meeting was chaired by ROK Minister of Trade Ahn Dukgeun.

Minister Ahn briefed Ambassadors present on the coordinating mechanism on climate issues, the development cooperation policies of the Korean government in terms of mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and the ROK’s goals on country-to-country facilitation to realize global net-zero. According to Minister Ahn, the Republic of Korea considers carbon neutrality as an indispensable focus and a global endeavor for investments in partner countries on climate cooperation.

For her part, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega informed the meeting that the Philippines has a very positive policy environment to come up with a regulatory framework and legal mandate to pursue net zero policies. She also emphasized that implementing measures to enhance the readiness of the public and private sectors to take on a net zero future is also in place.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega likewise conveyed that although the Philippine government has yet to come up with a detailed net zero plan, the Philippines already has the building blocks moving towards this goal, and there is now a higher consciousness and a greater desire to accelerate the transition to net zero and pave the way to a green transition.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega also noted that the government remains committed to climate mitigation, as the PH national budget carries the highest allocation for climate expenditures by far, consisting mainly of the promotion of renewable energy and improvement of traffic infrastructure-mobility to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. She also conveyed that key priorities for the ROK and the Philippines include unlocking new areas for cooperation on renewable energy development, addressing the low transfer and diffusion of green technology, two-pronged for capacity building and data gathering and analysis, green farming or creating green value-based chains in emission-intensive industries, and low emission tracking technologies.

Ambassadors and heads of the diplomatic missions of Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and Mongolia attended the briefing. Senior officials from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency and the Korea Energy Agency were also in attendance. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega was joined by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Reisha Olavario.

The Philippines continues to work with international development cooperation partners like the Republic of Korea to turn climate commitments into action, charting the course towards achieving a climate and disaster-resilient, inclusive, and green and blue recovery. END

AMBASSADOR DIZON-DE VEGA REAFFIRMS STRONG AND DYNAMIC PH-ROK TIES DURING CALL ON NEW ROK MOFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN AFFAIRS

19 JULY 2023 - Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega reaffirmed the strong and dynamic ties between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea during her courtesy call on the new MOFA Director General for Southeast Asian Affairs Kim Dongbae on 19 July 2023.

Both sides had a productive discussion on upcoming high-level exchanges and visits, and priority areas for cooperation including the signing of agreements, cooperation in multilateral and international organizations, and the convening of bilateral consultative mechanisms in the political, economic, consular, and socio-cultural spheres. As a member of the ROK delegation to the recently-concluded ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference, Director General Kim was pleased to share that PH Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and ROK Foreign Minister Park Jin had a fruitful discussion on PH-ROK cooperation in Indonesia. Both sides likewise looked forward to working closely together on commemorative activities, as the Philippines and the Republic of Korea will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations next year. END