The Philippines now officially hosts the headquarters of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) after the Senate approved a resolution concurring with the ratification of the Host Country Agreement signed between ACB and the Government of the Philippines.

The Senate resolution was sponsored by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, with Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Loren Legarda as co-sponsors.

Established by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with funding from the European Union and officially launched at the 9th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in 2005, ACB is an intergovernmental regional center tasked to facilitate cooperation and coordination among ASEAN member states and with relevant national governments, regional and international organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, or biodiversity.

The Senate concurrence follows the entry into force of the ACB Establishment Agreement by ASEAN members Brunei Darussalam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam, completing the process to enable ACB to become a full-fledged international organization.

ACB Executive Director Rodrigo Fuentes said the Senate’s concurrence and ratification would further strengthen ASEAN’s resolve to save and conserve the region’s rich but highly threatened biodiversity.