MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda underscored the role of foresight in diplomacy, stressing that nations must prepare for global shifts by addressing climate change and strengthening cultural diplomacy.

Speaking at the Regional Foresight Conference on Emerging International Issues in Seda Manila Bay, Legarda said foresight has become “an indispensable discipline of diplomacy,” particularly for Southeast Asia which sits “at the crossroads of global security networks, vital trade corridors, and resource-rich domains.”

“Climate change has already altered the way we live, and it will continue to do so in ways we cannot ignore,” she said, citing its impacts on food, utilities, and basic commodities.

The senator highlighted the Philippines’ past initiatives on climate action, including the 2015 Manila Call to Action on Climate Change, the establishment of the Climate Vulnerable Forum’s V20 Group, and her role as commissioner of the Global Commission on Adaptation in 2018. She also noted the country’s participation in the High Ambition Coalition, which seeks to protect 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.

“That foresight is now affirmed by no less than the International Court of Justice in its recent historic Advisory Opinion on the Obligation of States in respect of Climate Change,” Legarda said.

Apart from environmental diplomacy, Legarda also called for the advancement of cultural diplomacy as a form of soft power. She cited the creation of Sentro Rizal under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 and the Philippine Studies Program, which has expanded to 33 academic institutions worldwide.

She also pointed to milestones such as the Philippines’ return to the Venice Biennale in 2015 and its upcoming role as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the world’s largest literary gathering.

“Environmental diplomacy and cultural diplomacy are not separate pursuits. They are converging forces that give nations both the strength to endure and the power to inspire,” she said.

Legarda urged scholars and diplomats attending the conference to “embed foresight in our policies, our curricula, and our diplomacy,” emphasizing the need to prepare leaders “who can recognize patterns before they crystallize, and who can turn risks into opportunities.”