Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. deposits the instrument of ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty and the instrument of accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness at the United Nations. The deposit ceremony is graced by UN Legal Counsel and Under-Secretary-General Miguel de Serpa Soares and the Chief of Treaties, David Nanopoulos. (Photo Credit: UNOLA)

 

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 24 March 2022 - Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. deposited the instrument of ratification for the Arms Trade Treaty and the instrument of accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness today in a ceremony at the United Nations. Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Miguel de Serpa Soares received the instruments on behalf of the Secretary General of the United Nations, who is the depositary of the said multilateral agreements. USG de Serpa Soares was accompanied by Chief of Treaties David Nanopoulos,

Both treaties will enter into force on 22 June 2022 for the Philippines.

Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative to the UN, Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel R. Penaranda also joined Secretary Locsin at the deposit ceremony which took place at the UN Office of Legal Affairs (UN-OLA) in New York.

The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is an international treaty that regulates the international trade in conventional arms and seeks to prevent and eradicate illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms by establishing international standards governing arms transfers. It entered into force in 2014 and presently has 110 states parties. The Philippines signed the ATT in 2013 during a UN Treaty Event organized by the Treaty Section of UN-OLA.

According to Secretary Locsin, “We have come full circle on the ATT. We were the first country in Southeast Asia to sign the ATT when it opened for signature.  With the deposit of our instrument of ratification, we are now also the first country in Southeast Asia to become a state party to the ATT.”

“Joining this treaty is in line with our commitment to ensure international and regional peace, security, and stability through the regulation of the illicit transfer, flow or diversion of conventional arms using internationally agreed standards,” Secretary Locsin added.

Meanwhile, accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction on Statelessness is an important step in the Philippines’ national strategy to end statelessness.

The 1961 Convention establishes a system of common rules that elaborates clear, detailed, and concrete safeguards to ensure a fair and appropriate response to the threat of statelessness. It ensures measures to promote acquisition or retention of nationality to persons who would otherwise be rendered stateless and who have an appropriate link with the states. It would enable the Philippines to address gaps due to differences in the citizenship and nationality frameworks without impinging on the Philippines’ sovereignty to regulate nationality.

Accession to the statelessness conventions is among the commitments made by the Philippines during the UN High-Level Segment on Statelessness in 2019. It fulfills one of the seven action points under the National Action Plan (NAP) to End Statelessness that the Philippines committed to implement until the year 2024. This NAP in line with the Global Action Plan to End Statelessness which is a part of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) 10-year campaign to end statelessness. END

 

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. (3^rd from left) is joined by Permanent Representative Enrique A. Manalo (2^nd from left), Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro (leftmost), and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel R. Penaranda (rightmost) at the deposit ceremony and during the exchange of views with Under-Secretary-General Miguel de Serpa Soares of the UN Office. The Chief of Treaties, David Nanopoulos (2^nd from right), is also present during the event. (Photo Credit: New York PM).