The Quezon City Government has launched the Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Training Program, becoming the first city in the Philippines to integrate climate action into its employee development system. With support from the C40 Cities Urban Climate Action Programme – Climate Action Implementation (UCAP CAI), the initiative will equip more than 19,000 city employees with skills to ensure climate action is inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs of vulnerable communities.
Mayor Joy Belmonte emphasized that climate action “goes beyond compliance and garbage collection,” stressing that empowered communities are key partners in advancing environmental protection and sustainable development.
Through the Human Resource Management Department (HRMD), in collaboration with the Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department (CCESD), the city plans to roll out ICA training quarterly or biannually, with all employees completing the program within two years. New hires will also be required to take ICA as a core competency.
The program will extend to communities through Training of Trainers initiatives developed by the QC Training and Assessment Center (TAC), in collaboration with the Barangay and Community Relations Department (BCRD), to reach residents and youth. The Youth Development Office will also involve out-of-school youth and Quezon City Scholars, who will integrate ICA learning into their community service. Student leaders will help expand the program’s reach, creating a ripple effect of inclusive climate awareness.
“Mainstreaming ICA into Quezon City’s competencies, both at the city government and community levels, enables the city to take more intentional processes to ensure that their climate action is inclusive and equitable. This means that marginalized and underrepresented communities will be engaged, and that their needs, context and lived realities are considered in how the city plans and implements climate interventions. C40 is proud to have partnered with Gugma PR in delivering the modules for QC — we iteratively conducted focus groups with communities and QC’s staff to tailor-fit the storytelling and training to the Philippine context," C40 Cities’ Senior Manager for Inclusive Climate Action in Southeast Asia Ragene Palma said.
Sustaining the city’s inclusive programs, the Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office (PDAO) will embed ICA training into existing initiatives, alongside Filipino Sign Language and Disability Awareness and Sensitivity training.