Philippines: HCT El Nino Technical Working Group Closing Report - June 2024

THE HUMANITARIAN COUNTRY TEAM (HCT)

EL NIÑO TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP

In recognition of global and national forecasts on the El Niño phenomenon and guided by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Standard Operating Procedures on Early Action To El Niño/La Niña Episodes, the Philippines’ HCT reactivated in 2023 the El Niño TWG to be led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) together with the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The main purpose of the Technical Working Group was to coordinate the HCT El Niño-related activities in the country and consolidate the early actions of the HCT/Inter Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) members, track progress, capture lessons learned in implementation and share the same within the UN network, INGOs, NNGOs, CSOs and Private sector. Significantly, the TWG worked in close coordination with the National El Niño Task Force, and align activities with the National El Niño Action Plan.

The HCT TWG played an active role in the national government’s El Nino Task Force coordinating and communicating as necessary. In April 2024, the UN Assistant Secretary General (ASG) and Climate Crisis Coordinator for the El Niño/La Niña Response Reena Ghelani conducted a weeklong mission to the Philippines. The ASG met with the Government's National Task Force on El Niño, the Humanitarian Country Team, the Philippine Red Cross and other partners. She interacted with communities affected by El Niño and women's groups engaged in strengthening community resilience. She also visited a climate-resilience housing project and spoke with local authorities and civil society organizations.

Members of the HCT TWG for El Niño briefed the ASG on their El Niño related activities. Agencies present highlighted the important role of anticipatory action and collaborative efforts which bring together the private sector and the government.

Based on the latest scientific assessments, the El Niño phenomenon has transitioned to neutral conditions, therefore aligning with the official pronouncement of the government on 04 June, the HCT El Niño TWG will hereby deactivate. Based on the projections, agency updates, national level response, the El Niño phenomenon in the Philippines did not require a collective humanitarian response. Agencies/organizations responded based on their mandates and/or the bilateral requests from the government. While the current El Niño event has subsided, the country is still dealing with the effects of El Niño or extreme drought. Members of the TWG remain committed to providing support to affected communities and will support ongoing and future resilience initiatives against future climatic events. Climate change continues to pose significant challenges and exacerbate the impacts of natural phenomena like El Niño with the impacts of climate change disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable. The experience and lessons learned from this TWG and its members will be invaluable as the groups adapt strategies to address the broader implications of climate change and as it prepares for the next El Niño event.