Philippines

Allow me at the outset to congratulate Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser on his election and to offer the Philippines’ full support for his leadership in this sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly. Our collective experience as one United Nations has brought into focus the reality that only when nations work together in firm and determined resolve can we begin to address the many difficulties that confront us. Two global wars exposed our vulnerability to leaders and nations that do not hesitate to use violence to resolve disputes and underscored the need for an international system to govern the behaviour of States. That is the rules-based framework that underpins everything we want to build, raise and do as one United Nations. That framework — built on our shared values and common aspirations — provides the way by which we can effectively move together as one global community towards our common objectives. For the Philippines, therefore, this session’s theme — “The role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful means” — is most relevant and opportune. A rules-based system will work in a sustained manner only if the rules themselves are based on principles of justice and equity. Recent events across the globe, particularly in the Middle East, have shown us that individuals rise together for what they believe is just and equitable. Individuals clamour for the rule of law based on equity and fairness. When they realize the injustice of repressive and iniquitous rule, they do not hesitate to bring effective and positive change. We must continue to work to eliminate nuclear weapons and curtail the illicit trade in conventional weapons and in small and light arms in order to preserve peace and our very existence. The successful 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons showed the collective resolve of States parties to move further forward in ridding the world of those weapons. We have already agreed to convene a conference by 2012 on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. The holding of that conference will take us closer to our goal. To build peace, we need to provide and strengthen conditions that encourage the full progress and prosperity of all nations and peoples. We must ensure that international trade and development support that end. The Philippines therefore calls for a fair, open and rules-based multilateral trading system 11-51687 2 and the conclusion of the Doha Round. We must likewise redouble our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The target date of 2015 is upon us and much work remains to be done. The Philippines is one of world’s 17 mega- diverse countries and has a great stake in ensuring that global biodiversity is protected and maintained. We have been described as the epicentre of global marine biodiversity, and we host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Center for Biodiversity. As we look forward to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development next year, we join the call for a more powerful expression of the entire world’s political commitment to sustainable development. With the human person at the core of all our efforts, we must always strive to uphold human dignity and human rights. That holds true for migrant workers. The Philippines has close to 10 million Filipinos overseas, contributing to global socio-economic development. In line with the rules-based approach, the Philippines supports the establishment of guidelines that would ensure the welfare of all migrant workers. Additionally, we must renew our resolve to address the evils of human trafficking. The Philippines is a founding member of the Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking, an informal association of United Nations Member States that seeks to help reinvigorate and consolidate the global fight against trafficking in persons. At the core of the initiative is the implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Aside from establishing rules to protect migrant workers and to prevent human trafficking, the global community needs to explore measures to more effectively assist developing countries in evacuating their nationals in instances of disaster or internal conflict. The Philippines also supports efforts at the United Nations to enhance partnerships, including with private sector actors, in strengthening the international humanitarian and emergency response system. The Philippines recognizes that the promotion and protection of human rights are of vital importance to securing peace and socio-economic development, promoting the rule of law and strengthening democracies. The Philippines Government likewise recognizes women as agents of socio-economic growth and change, and thus strongly advocates their full participation in nation-building. The Philippines is pleased to announce that, on 30 August, we deposited our instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. This was an historic moment for my country and my people. We have stood up against the impunity of colonial rule and of a dictatorship. Now, we stand together with the rest of the world in saying “never again” to impunity in any corner of our world. Firm in the desire to contribute to global efforts to safeguard the world against impunity, the Philippines has fielded a candidate for election to the Court, Ms. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, an experienced trial judge and international legal scholar with a distinguished and long career in public service. We ask all our partners and friends to support her candidature. As we look to strengthen the ramparts of peace, we recognize the important role and contributions of United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The Philippines stands ready to do its part to ensure that the lines of peace are fortified and continuously expanded. The Philippines lauds the heightened interaction and dialogue among the Secretariat, the General Assembly, the Security Council, troop- and police-contributing countries and other key stakeholders in the global peacekeeping agenda. As we strive to reinforce peacekeeping operations on land, so too should we continue to exert efforts in maintaining stability and security at sea. Maritime piracy, after all, imperils the lives of seafarers and disrupts global trade. Today, around 70 Filipino seafarers are still being held hostage by pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. We must continue to work diligently to counter these sea pirates, who have no place in our modern, civilized world. To strengthen the international rules-based regime, the Philippines advocates reforming the United Nations, particularly the Security Council, to make it more resilient, relevant and responsive. The record shows that it is only the Philippines that has presented specific drafts resolutions concretely setting forth proposals on the five key issues: categories of membership, question of the veto, size of the enlarged Security Council and working methods, relationship 3 11-51687 between the General Assembly and the Security Council, and the question of regional representation. Terrorism continues to cast its dark shadow on all of us. The decapitation of terrorist organizations has not put an end to terrorism. We need to address the root causes and conditions that turn individuals with so much passion into beasts that know nothing but violence to achieve their ends. Among many things, we need to further examine how economic disenfranchisement, intolerance and radicalization contribute to the growth of terrorist groups. The rule of law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is the key to finding solutions to disputes over conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea. As we prepare to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of UNCLOS next year, let all States parties remember not just our rights, but also our obligations, for the rule of law is the bedrock on which the growth and development of our community of nations is built. Adherence to the rule of law provides stability and certainty in the conduct of relations among States. In a world defined by unequal distribution of economic, military and political resources and might, the rule of law is the great equalizer, ensuring that rights are protected and responsibilities complied with. Adherence to the rule of law prevents conflicts. In instances of dispute, particularly of a territorial nature, the rule of law ensures a peaceful settlement and resolution. The rule of law has guided the Philippines in all its actions as a responsible member of the international community. The Philippines realizes that only when the rule of law prevails can all stakeholders and the world benefit from a region of such importance strategically and in terms of resources. We adhere to ASEAN’s 1992 Manila declaration on the West Philippine Sea and the 2002 declaration on the conduct of parties in the West Philippine Sea. We call on other parties to do so as well. We also welcome the efforts and support of other stakeholders in working towards a lasting, just and peaceful solution to the conflicting claims in our region. Allow me to conclude by saying that underpinning the success of all our efforts in the United Nations is adherence to the rule of law and a rules-based international system. Out of the horrors of war, we have resolved as one global community to build and strengthen the ramparts of peace and development. Those ramparts, strong as they may be, can easily disintegrate when even just one nation behaves contrary to the rules and norms we have all agreed to abide by. It is our obligation as individual sovereigns States and as a collective global community that all nations, large or small, behave responsibly through the adherence to the rule of law and a rules- based regime. Only then can we hope to enjoy the benefits of our world and live together in greater peace, progress and prosperity.