Marcos, Guterres exchange views on climate action, international situation

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday (PHL time) met with United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

According to a readout posted on the UN website, Marcos and Guterres discussed areas of UN cooperation and support.

Secretary-General @antonioguterres & @bongbongmarcos, President of the Republic of the Philippines, today discussed areas of @UN cooperation and support. They also exchanged views on the international situation as well as climate action initiatives:https://t.co/pYb9bIpE1E pic.twitter.com/XzkIpxywB9

— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) September 21, 2022

Further, they exchanged views regarding the international situation as well as climate action initiatives.

Earlier, Guterres appealed to rich nations to tax windfall profits of fossil fuel firms, adding that the money should be redirected to help countries adversely affected by the climate crisis as well as those citizens who are struggling with soaring food and energy prices.

Guterres stressed that the "fossil fuel industry is feasting on hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies and windfall profits while household budgets shrink and our planet burns."

Marcos, on the other hand, pointed out during the high level general debate earlier on Wednesday (PHL time) that climate change is the greatest threat affecting various nations and that its effects are uneven and reflect historical injustice.

He also urged industrialized countries "to immediately fulfill their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, provide climate financing and technology transfer for adaptation for the most vulnerable  and developing countries to lead by example."

Marcos left Manila on Sunday for a working visit to the US and will be back in the Philippines on September 24.

Earlier, he met with the Filipino community in New Jersey, then presented his administration's plan to boost the country's economy during the New York Stock Exchange Economic Forum. —KG, GMA News