Senator Loren Legarda made a strong call to action for foresight-driven diplomacy and leadership during the Regional Foresight Conference on Emerging International Issues on August 27 at Seda Manila Bay, Parañaque City.
The conference, hosted by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the Philippines in connection with the 2nd Retreat of Diplomatic Academies in Southeast Asia, highlighted the increasing recognition that foresight studies and future thinking must be integral to diplomatic training and the development of foreign policy.
“To speak of foresight in this context is not an academic exercise. It is the most practical expression of survival and the most strategic expression of leadership,” Legarda said.
She stressed Southeast Asian nations must strengthen their capacity to anticipate and prepare for pressing challenges such as climate change and environmental risks, technological disruptions, shifting global power dynamics and geopolitical rivalries, health crises and pandemics, and regional security and maritime issues, including the South China Sea.
Legarda, who is also Chair of the Senate Committee on Culture and Arts and an advocate of environmental protection and climate action, underscored the Philippines’ proactive role in environmental diplomacy.
She cited the Manila Call to Action on Climate Change, the country’s leadership in the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the V20 Group, as well as collaborations with global leaders, including Ban Ki-moon, Bill Gates, and Kristalina Georgieva in developing climate adaptation strategies.
In addition to environmental advocacy, the four-term senator highlighted the importance of cultural diplomacy in fostering connections between nations.
She mentioned initiatives she spearheaded such as Sentro Rizal, a global network of cultural centers that brings Filipino arts, language, and heritage to the world (under the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, which she authored); the Philippine Studies Program, which affirms Filipinos as knowledge producers in the global academic community; and the country’s return to the Venice Biennale, the world’s foremost contemporary art and architecture exhibition. She added the Philippines will be the guest of honor country at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, marking a significant moment for Southeast Asian cultural representation.
“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,” Legarda explained.
The conference featured research presentations from participating diplomatic academies, created independently or in collaboration with academic institutions.
Challenging the region’s diplomatic educators and future leaders, Legarda concluded, “You are the torchbearers of foresight. You bear the responsibility of anticipating change, of preparing with discipline, of envisioning with courage, and of listening with humility.”
