Around 50 government agencies, CSOs and NGOs, and business organizations signed the Philippine Earth Day 2016 Covenant in celebration of the International Earth Day on 22 April 2016. More than 250 participants gathered in this event spearheaded by the Earth Day Network Philippines (EDNP) to support the Covenant signing and the launching of the “Trees for the Earth” Campaign.

The Covenant sets points on pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 ⁰C above pre-industrial levels; encouraging the formulation of a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) resulting from various multistakeholder consultations; participation in the formulation of the NDC; reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and contributing in the planting of the 7.8 billion trees in support of the five major goals of the International Earth Day Movement.

The 2016 celebration also coincides with the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in New York where more than 170 countries, including the Philippines as represented by DENR Secretary Ramon Paje, agreed to work to limit the global temperature rise to well below 2 ⁰C, and given the grave risks, to strive for 1.5 ⁰C.

ANGOC is one of the CSOs signed to commit efforts set by the Covenant.