I am Ferdinand Marcos, and I am President of the Republic of the Philippines. I stand here today on behalf of 110 million Filipinos. At this time of crisis and opportunity, I bring with me the spirit of their enduring commitment to the ideals of our United Nations.
That commitment is reflected in our solid contributions to the cause of peace and justice. By shepherding through the Manila Declaration of 1982, we helped affirm that differences should be resolved only through peaceful means. By reinforcing the predictability and stability of international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, we provided an example of how States should resolve their differences, through reason and right. Those two contributions provide useful guidance for our time, for amid challenging global tides, an important ballast is the stabilization of our common vessel, that is, our open, inclusive and rules-based international order, governed by international law and informed by the principles of equity and justice. As I have underscored, the Philippines will continue to be a friend to all and an enemy of none.
Our world order traces its roots to a moment 77 years ago. The President of the General Assembly’s first predecessor from Asia, General Carlos Romulo, called on our leaders then to make this floor our last battlefield in order to determine in this Hall whether humankind was to survive or be wiped out in another holocaust. Our peoples chose survival, cooperation and peace, and by doing so, they made history.
Today, history once again calls on us to make those choices. We are confronted by tectonic shifts that will inform the ebb and flow of the coming century. Of those, I see four challenges to the continued survival of our global community.
The first challenge is climate change. The time for talk about if and when has long since passed — it is here and now. Climate change is the greatest threat affecting our nations and peoples. There is no other problem so global in nature that it requires a united effort led by the United Nations.
The effects of climate change are uneven and reflect a historical injustice whereby those who are least responsible suffer the most. The Philippines, for example, is a net carbon sink. We absorb more carbon dioxide than we emit. Yet we are the fourth most vulnerable country to the effects of climate change.
That injustice must be corrected and those who need to do more must act now. We accept our share of responsibility and will continue to do our part to avert that collective disaster.
We call on industrialized countries to immediately fulfil their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change to cut their greenhouse-gas emissions, provide climate financing and technology transfer for the adaptation of the most vulnerable and developing countries and lead by example. We look forward to concrete outcomes at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention to be held in Egypt later this year. When future generations look back, let them not ask why we did not take this opportunity to turn the tide, or why we continued in our profligate ways until it was too late. The threat knows no borders, no social class, nor any geopolitical consideration. How we address it will be the true test of our time.
Secondly, the development of advanced technologies is rapidly transforming human life and experience. We still barely understand how those transformations are unfolding and where they are leading. The imminent diffusion of those emerging technologies could solve many of our old problems, but could also disrupt our political and social orders. Our governance structures must keep up.
Thirdly, widening geopolitical polarities and sharpening strategic competitions are transforming the international political landscape. A profound lack of trust is putting enormous strains on our multilateral system. The Charter of the United Nations itself is being violated around the world as we speak. In Asia, our hard- won peace and stability is under threat from increasing strategic and ideological tensions. They demand that we uphold the ideals that led to the establishment of this parliament of nations and reject any attempt to deny or redefine our common understanding of those principles.
Even as we grapple with those new long-term shifts, we remain beset by an unresolved problem, the inequalities and inequities that persist within and among countries, and that continue to demand urgent action. Therein lies our fourth transcendent challenge. That injustice was evident during the pandemic, when the richer nations immediately received vaccines at the expense of the have-nots. We see, for example, similar dangers lurking in the persistent digital divide and in ballooning debt burdens.
As we awaken from the economic stupor caused by the pandemic, we must reinvigorate the world economy. We must use public and private resources to encourage the expansion of trade, investment and technology transfers to accelerate development. Knowledge and intellectual gains must flow freely to allow those lagging behind to catch up. Sustainable development will be hampered to the detriment of all if existing structures in the global economy remain unreformed.
In the past three decades, Filipinos have made significant strides on their path to sustainable development. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and global economic upheavals, we remain on track to reach upper-middle-income status by next year. With steady investment in food, public health, education and other social services, we expect to become a moderately prosperous country by 2040. I am confident that we will achieve that vision. Yet no nation stands alone. The achievement of our national ambition requires a global environment that creates conditions that allow all nations, including ours, to thrive in peace. We need the United Nations to continue to work and we in the Philippines are determined to be part of that solution.
The Philippines did not hesitate to donate to the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility that helped provide vaccines in many parts of the developing world. Multilateralism and international cooperation do make a difference. Filipino health workers were on the front lines in many countries to curb the spread of the virus, risking and often sacrificing their own lives to save those of others. We have always been an optimistic and courageous nation. Despite the enormity of those challenges, we believe that solutions are within our collective grasp. The President of the Assembly has already identified the three tools at our disposal.
The first of those tools is solidarity. We need to reaffirm the wisdom of the founders of our United Nations. That means transcending our differences and committing to ending war, upholding justice, respecting human rights and maintaining international peace and security.
Nuclear weapons continue to pose an existential threat, despite our efforts to build norms that resoundingly prohibit them. We must reject the notion of deterrence and remain committed to decreasing the global stockpile of those weapons. At the same time, we must also address the scourge of the proliferation of all weapons, be they small arms, light weapons or improvised explosive devices.
Our work must also focus on ensuring that the international system remains fair, not only for all States but more importantly for all peoples. The system must work for the most vulnerable, especially the marginalized, including migrants and refugees. The world has witnessed the enduring contribution of migrants in the fight against the pandemic. We are still dreaming of an end to the disturbing incidents of racism, of Asian hate and of all prejudice.
The Philippines’ joint programme on human rights with the United Nations is an example of a constructive approach that puts our people rather than our politics at the centre of that work. It provides a model for revitalizing the structures that facilitate solidarity between the United Nations and a sovereign duty- bearer. Our continued solidarity will also benefit from a reformed and more inclusive Security Council and an empowered General Assembly that can hold the Council to account.
At the same time, the United Nations must forge ahead with its flagship tradition of global peacekeeping. My country’s experiences in building peace and forging new paths of cooperation can enrich the work of the Security Council. To that end, I appeal for the valuable support of all Member States for the Philippines’ candidature for the Security Council for the 2027-2028 term.
Our success in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in the south of the Philippines is the centrepiece of those efforts. The peace that we have forged after many decades of conflict among warring factions and clansmen demonstrates that unity is possible even in the most trying circumstances. Inclusive dialogue involving all stakeholders, including women, young people, faith leaders and civil society, conducted with patience and in good faith, has produced a credible and solid foundation for self-governance that will pave the way for lasting peace and sustainable development.
We take the same approach in Asia. The Philippines builds partnerships for peace and development through dialogue, including interfaith and interreligious dialogue, especially through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In the face of great diversity, we believe that partnerships form the bridge that will unite us all in promoting peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Our global community is only as strong as we make it. We have to ensure that all nations, especially developing countries, are equipped with the tools
they need to navigate the uncharted waters of this century. That requires a transformative development agenda. We therefore welcome the convening of a United Nations summit of the future next year as an opportunity to collectively roll up our sleeves and chart our common path.
The second of those tools is sustainability. We must seek solutions that preserve our plane, solutions that must transcend our time and win the future for succeeding generations. We crafted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a platform of unity where our societies can build a future that is resilient and inclusive and where our people can be healthy, happy and secure. That requires investment in food security, the fragility of which has been clearly demonstrated by the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. We need to take concrete steps towards a modern and resilient agriculture. Food is not just a trade commodity or a livelihood, it is an existential imperative as well as a moral one. It is the very basis of human security.
In order to attain food self-sufficiency and security, we are providing innovative solutions and financial support to farmers and fisherfolk to adapt new technologies and connect to national and global value supply chains. We look forward to forging cooperation with the United Nations and our partners to boost agricultural productivity and food security. As host to 17 United Nations agencies, programmes and funds, the Philippines strongly supports reforms to ensure that the United Nations development system delivers as one through its United Nations country team.
Water connects our world and sustains our existence, but it is also a finite resource that requires our stewardship. Our biodiversity is equally important and must be protected amid the continuing challenge of climate change. We must enhance our cooperation in those areas, but sustainability also requires development policies that go beyond traditional metrics. We already know that gross domestic product is an incomplete measure of progress and that vulnerability is multidimensional. Our development agenda must also take into account the interests of all developing nations, including middle-income countries, where the majority of the world’s poor live.
At the same time, sustainability means equipping our people with the tools they need to meet the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution. Investments in education are key, and my Administration is prepared to make such investments. The Philippines notes with appreciation the Transforming Education Summit held earlier this week, at which those subjects were taken up. There is perhaps no greater renewable resource than the creativity and innovation of our young people. We understand the value of harnessing our people’s talents by creating a robust and creative economy, and we will continue to work with partners in promoting that at the international level.
The third and final tool is science. Knowledge and discovery remain the keys to unlocking the potential of our dynamic future. Encouraging our young people’s curiosity, honing their skills and protecting their intellectual property are important investments. Humankind is expanding its horizons, both in the digital world and out in our physical universe. Access to those domains is an inalienable right of all nations, as is the peaceful use of all existing and emerging technologies.
The Philippines is preparing for the future by laying a governance framework that will enable us to harness the power of renewable energy, develop the capacity to utilize life sciences such as medicine and virology, pursue digital solutions towards a more modern economy and expand our presence in outer space. But we also need to update the global structures that facilitate international cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, biology and chemistry, to name but a few. At the same time, we need new structures to govern rapid advances in other areas. We need to start by defining the norms of responsible behaviour in cyberspace and outer space and forming legal rules that will prevent the weaponization of artificial intelligence.
The diffusion of cutting-edge technology across the economy is promising, but it could come at a cost. Our development agenda must consider the possible displacement of human labour as a result of advances in automation. We must prepare our economic structures for that. We should start building the necessary supports for the sectors affected.
The transcendent challenges of our time are as consequential as those that faced us 77 years ago when we founded this body. We are indeed at a watershed moment, one that requires a refounding of this our United Nations. The world is ready for transformation. It is up to us, as leaders of our nations, to move and shape that transformation. The future beckons, and we can embark on that journey as single nations or as a world in harmony. I say, let the challenges of one people be the challenges for all nations. In that way the success of one will be a success for us all.
The peoples of the world look to their leaders, to us, to make these aspirations for our future a reality. We must not fail them. And if we stand together, we will not fail them. If we stand together, we can only succeed. Let us dream, let us work for those successes for all our nations, united.