Mr. Chair,
The Philippines aligns itself with the statement of Indonesia on behalf of ASEAN and Morocco on behalf of NAM.
We also wish to congratulate the elected Chair and members of the Bureau of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.
We commend the Secretary-General's resolve to continue implementing the reforms under the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) and A4P Plus initiatives.
For this year's session, the Philippines is confident that the C-34 Members will continue to develop action-oriented recommendations for making the UN peacekeeping operations more responsive and efficient.
Mr. Chair,
Having been actively engaged in UN peacekeeping since 1963, deploying almost 15,000 Filipino peacekeepers to 21 peacekeeping operations and special political missions, the Philippines remains committed and is currently working on how to fast-track the deployment of its pledges through the UN Peacekeeping Capability and Readiness System.
In fact, on the sidelines of this event, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has arranged various engagements with UN stakeholders and partners to elevate existing pledges and send its Military Engineering and Quick Reaction Companies for deployment wherever they are most needed.
Mr. Chair,
Under the ambit of the thematic elements of C-34, the Philippines wishes to reiterate some of the regionally captured recommendations worth highlighting before this esteemed Special Committee:
Firstly, we encourage the Secretariat to continue exploring innovative approaches, such as encouraging smart pledging and co-deployments among members of a regional group, leveling up cooperation, and promoting regional contribution and standing instead of the traditional individual state contribution approach. This, in our view, will enable high turnouts in addressing the new face of the constantly changing operational demands of various UN mission areas.
Secondly, the Philippines reaffirms its absolute support to the Secretary General’s Zero Tolerance Policy on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. However, we also underscore the need for a probable cause to be established with due diligence before an alleged misconduct case against a peacekeeper is formalized and pursued. This protects the image and credibility of Troop- and Police- Contributing Countries (T/PCCs), the peacekeeping mission, and the UN in general against some entities and individuals with self-vested interests.
On the other hand, we commend the best practices of some TPCCs, which require DNA profiling of their deployed peacekeepers, readily available in aid of any lawful investigation and other identification issues. We wish that this best practice be considered one of the preferential requirements in the UN deployment selection process.
Thirdly, the Philippines reiterates and sides with the call for a more equitable geographical representation in leadership positions by less-represented T/PCCs in field missions and the UN Headquarters.
Fourthly, we reiterate our support to the various recommendations on the eight (8) thematic elements under the A4P initiative and A4P+. On Women, Peace and Security, we remain committed to increasing the participation of women in uniformed roles and support the call to integrate gender perspectives in all aspects of peacekeeping.
Mr. Chair,
The Philippines has high hopes that this year’s C-34 substantive session will not only produce a commendable outcome document but will also remain as a forum for exchanging innovative and constructive views for the betterment of UN peacekeeping.
Thank you.