Madam President,

We express appreciation to the President of the General Assembly for convening today’s meeting and to the Secretary-General for the series of global conversations and surveys, which have been constructive, insightful, and productive.

The Philippines wishes to put forward the following brief comments on some themes under our Common Agenda:

• On leaving no one behind, discussions and concrete initiatives to strengthen UN support to the middle-income countries (MICs), as well as to vulnerable groups – persons with disabilities, older persons, indigenous people, migrants and refugees in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda should be sustained and further advanced.
• On protecting our planet, we support national, regional and global efforts to address the challenges of the degradation of the world’s oceans, and we support the development of a new legally binding agreement on plastic pollution.
• On promoting peace and preventing conflicts, the changing security landscape, exacerbated by the pandemic which has pushed terrorists and violent extremists to take their operations online, require closer cooperation among Member States and other stakeholders in implementing the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
• On abiding by international law and ensuring justice, we are firmly committed to international law and believe that all disputes must be settled peacefully in accordance with Article 2 and Chapter Six (VI) of the UN Charter, and we urge compliance with decisions pursuant to these dispute settlement mechanisms. The Philippines is likewise committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law.
• On building trust, the Philippines appreciates the Secretary-General’s affirmation of the importance of “rebuilding trust among governments, trust between people and institutions, and trust in the United Nations.”
• On upgrading the United Nations, we continue to support the calls for reform of the Security Council, revitalization of the General Assembly, and the ECOSOC Review. We likewise support the ongoing reforms in the UN Development System.
• On being prepared in a continuing pandemic environment, we need to continue to strengthen international cooperation, coordination and solidarity to complement and support national efforts, particularly on vaccine availability, health system improvement, food security and resiliency, learning continuity, digital transformation and regional development.

Madam President,

The Philippines looks forward to the discussions on the report of the Secretary-General with recommendations or “operational conclusions” to advance our Common Agenda before the end of the current General Assembly session.

Thank you. END