International climate experts have expressed concern on the President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement that he will not honor the United Nations (UN) Paris Agreement on climate change.
Rosa Perez of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that the president should reconsider his decision to not honor the agreement.
“His statement was an indication that he is not well-informed of the importance of the climate change negotiations and the country’s position in the whole process. I hope everything will turn out well for the country’s good,” she said.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, called the president’s rejection unfortunate, as the Paris agreement could also be used for protection of disaster prone areas and indigenous people.
Despite having its weakness, Corpuz added that the agreement’s commitment to respect human rights including indigenous rights is important.
