Madam President,
The Philippines aligns itself with the statement delivered by Indonesia, on behalf of ASEAN, and the statement delivered by Morocco, on behalf of NAM.
The Philippines is committed to search for, and contribute towards, constructive solutions to regional and global issues – from human rights, health and humanitarian action to sustainable development, protection of civilians, peacemaking to peacebuilding and peacekeeping. This is in line with our proven track record of multilateral diplomacy that has consistently pursued peace, adherence to a rules-based order, the sovereign equality of states, and the rights and dignity of all persons.
In this regard, we view UN peacekeeping operations around the world as a strong manifestation of the United Nations’ commitment to a more peaceful world.
UN peacekeeping continues to be a vital tool for managing and resolving conflicts, protecting human lives, and fostering conditions for sustainable peace. It provides a unique, multilateral approach to peace and security, leveraging contributions from countries around the world.
We salute the over 70,000 women and men UN peacekeepers serving in 11 conflict zones across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and the countries that sent them.
We also honor the over 4,400 military, police, and civilians who gave their lives under the UN flag since the UN started deploying peacekeepers 76 years ago.
We must continue to forge ahead and continue our collective efforts to strengthen the effectiveness and resiliency of peacekeeping operations; and the safety of peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel.
As our peacekeepers continue to face immense challenges - including being under-resourced; facing direct attacks to disrupt their missions; and erosion of trust between peacekeeping operations, local populations and authorities, among others - we must persist with our efforts to ensure that our peacekeepers are fully equipped and protected in carrying out their mandate.
Towards this end, we stress the importance of the support of local communities to peacekeeping missions; and likewise recognize the resilience of the communities that UN peacekeepers serve.
Further, there is a need to advance the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. We recognize the disproportionate and unique impact of conflict on women and their undervalued contributions to peace, security and recovery; and underline that women’s perspectives should be integrated across peace operations mandates. We just recently hosted the successful international conference on WPS in Manila wherein the “Pasay Declaration on Women, Peace and Security” was adopted. The Declaration provides a clear framework for advancing implementation of the WPS agenda established by UN Security Council resolution 1325.
UN peacekeeping missions need to receive the necessary resources and political support, including by addressing the liquidity crisis of the organization and ensuring timely and full payment of Member States’ contributions.
Madam President,
The Philippines has never wavered nor faltered in its commitment to peacekeeping missions. As a peacemaker, our proud tradition of over 60 years has seen Filipino troops to 21 UN peacekeeping and special political missions since 1963.
Today, we reiterate our readiness to increase our engagement in peacekeeping operations with more Filipino peacekeepers on the ground, including more skilled and trained female peacekeepers.
Later this month, a UN assessment team will visit the Philippines to assist in our build up to deploy more military and police personnel in any area regardless of the security threat level. Once deployed, our personnel will be following very strict standards of conduct and behavior in the performance of their peacekeeping duties.
Finally, as a reliable partner, committed peacemaker, and pathfinder that values partnerships, the Philippines will always be a strong supporter of UN peacekeeping for the cause of peace.
Thank you.