Thank you, Co-Chairs.

We thank you for your leadership in facilitating the work of this body and assure you of our continued support.

This year’s Revitalization exercise becomes more crucial in the context of our on-going thematic consultations on “Our Common Agenda.”  

The Philippines aligns itself with the Statement made by Algeria, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Philippines wishes to submit the following key points on the two (2) Thematic Clusters under the Revitalization agenda:

• On the Role and Authority of the General Assembly, we are firm in our conviction that the General Assembly is the chief deliberative, policy making, and most representative organ of the United Nations. It is imperative that Member States galvanize efforts to reinforce the role and authority of the General Assembly, enhance its effectiveness, transparency and inclusiveness.

In particular, Member States should exert efforts to give more effect to the functions and powers of the GA as set out in the Charter, especially as they relate to the maintenance of international peace and security, i.e., Articles 10 to 14 and Article 35. My delegation referred to this in our statement yesterday in the IGN on Security Council reform. The GA is the only universal organ of the UN System with a universal mandate. It should exercise its functions in a manner which enables it to take the lead on global issues, and support other principal organs where necessary as envisioned in the Charter. A draft resolution in line with this approach has been circulated to this effect.

Mindful of the primacy of the General Assembly, we also support calls for greater coherence in the work among the principal organs, including the rationalization of agenda and greater coordination among them through, among others, regular institutionalized meetings of their Presidents. The organs should work in step with each other and not as independent entities.

• On the Working Methods of the General Assembly, we endorse the recommendation to enhance synergies and coherence, and reduce overlap where it exists, in the agenda of the General Assembly; to move forward to biennialization and triennialization in the clustering and elimination of items; and to explore a sunset clause for some resolutions.

The Philippines, in partnership with Pakistan, contributed to this process by biennializing in 2023, for the first time in 17 years, its annual resolution on “interreligious and intercultural dialogue” under the Culture of Peace agenda.  

We continue to support proposal by Member States to consider a set of guidelines on the initiation of high-level meetings and side-events held in parallel to the General Debate during the High-Level Week (HLW) to be applicable to the Member States, the Secretariat and the entire UN system.

Co-Chairs,

The Philippines believes that with political will of the Member States and the leadership of our Co-Chairs, we can drive the revitalization process towards positive outcomes.

Thank you.