CDA Kira D. Azucena expresses PH support to Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Pham Binh Minh who presided over the Security Council Open Debate on the “Maintenance of international peace and security: upholding the UN Charter."
NEW YORK, 09 January – The Philippines expressed the commitment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, as well as in the peaceful resolution of disputes, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes, without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with the universally recognized principles of international law, including the UNCLOS. This was the message delivered, on behalf of ASEAN, by Ambassador Kira Christianne D. Azucena, Chargé d’Affaires of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the “Maintenance of international peace and security: upholding the UN Charter”.
Ambassador Azucena cited the cooperation to promote regional and international peace and security as a key feature of the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation.
Speaking for the Philippines, she also highlighted three important points: the country’s commitment to international law, as it is an indispensable foundation in efforts to build a more peaceful, prosperous and just world; terrorism, with its links to drug trafficking and organized crime, as a most serious threat to international peace and security; and the importance of sovereignty and, as enshrined in the UN Charter, the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.
The ministerial-level open debate was presided by Viet Nam, Security Council president for the month of January 2020, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the UN Charter in June 2020. It was an opportunity for member states to reflect on and reaffirm their commitment to upholding Charter principles, particularly in the context of international peace and security. Viet Nam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Pham Binh Minh, chaired the meeting. Secretary-General António Guterres and Chair of the Elders Mary Robinson briefed the Council.
Link to the full statement of Ambassador Azucena: https://www.un.int/philippines/statements_speeches/security-council-open-debate-%E2%80%9Cmaintenance-international-peace-and-security.