MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left for the United Arab Emirates on Monday night to participate in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) along with other heads of states. The chartered flight carrying Marcos and his lean delegation took off from the Villamor Air Base at past 6 in the evening. The ADSW is a major global forum that brings together world leaders and policymakers to address climate change, renewable energy, and sustainable economic development. “The forum will endeavor to find solutions to the challenges of the present and of the future, to which a unified approach by the community of nations is required,” Marcos said in his departure statement. The President said he will actively participate in the dialogues to find answers to the complex and interconnected issues on energy, water, finance, food, and the environment, and to gain valuable insights from the views of other world leaders. “As we start the new year, the Philippines will further pursue its goal to forge collaborations with new partners who share our vision of a sustainable world, and will endeavor to further enrich our relationships with other important partners,” he said. The President is also set to witness the signing of several important agreements, including the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and a Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation. The CEPA is the Philippines’ first free trade pact in the Middle East and is expected to expand cooperation in trade, services, and investments. It would provide the country greater access to the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, aside from the UAE. On the other hand, the defense agreement paves the way for joint training, exchange of officers, and information sharing between the two countries. The President designated Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd, and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian as caretakers of the government until his return on January 14.