Mr. Chair and distinguished delegates,
The Philippines aligns itself with the statements delivered by Indonesia on behalf of the NAM and by Cambodia on behalf of ASEAN.
Conventional weapons and their proliferation continue to bring menace to our populace. Their use has brought insurmountable damage and unnecessary suffering to numerous victims. On this backdrop, the Philippines affirms its commitment to conventional weapons disarmament, as anchored on our constitutional renunciation of war as an instrument of policy and our fervent commitment to and enforcement of International Humanitarian Law.
The Philippines’ disarmament outlook is driven not merely by strategic or security exigencies but by humanitarian imperative. We are committed to enhancing national security by addressing the scourge of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons and improvised explosive devices. In the same manner, we pursue actions that uphold the centrality of the victims and the need for affected states to build independent national capacities.
As a concrete testament to our position, the Philippines, last year, ratified the Protocol V of the Convention on Conventional Weapons and of the Arms Trade Treaty. This makes us one of the very few countries that are parties to all humanitarian disarmament conventions. We urge all Member States to likewise accede to all these conventions.
Consistent with our promotion of the humanitarian norms enshrined in these conventions, we condemn the use of landmines, cluster munitions, and incendiary weapons by any actor under any circumstances.
The experience of Southeast Asia demonstrates that cluster munitions cause superfluous injury, and their remnants pose a grave threat to peoples and communities for decades, thus hampering development. The use of cluster munitions is never justifiable.
Therefore, the Philippines calls on all States to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions and supports all efforts to universalize this convention.
The Philippines welcomes the successful conclusion of the open-ended working group (OEWG) on conventional ammunition with the recommendation of a Global Framework to address existing gaps in through-life ammunition management. Ammunition diverted to unauthorized users fuel conflicts not only in the Philippines but on a global scale. We therefore welcome the draft resolution deciding for the adoption of this Global Framework.
The Philippines looks forward to the convening of the 4th Review Conference to review progress made in the implementation of the UN Programme of Action (UN PoA) on small arms and light weapons next year. We also welcome the decision to establish a dedicated fellowship program on small arms and light weapons.
The Philippines also continues to call for collaborative action to counter the threat posed by improvised explosive devices, particularly by armed non-state actors. We support efforts to improve the implementation of IHL in the context of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA).
With this, the Philippines looks forward to the convening of the first follow up meeting on EWIPA Declaration in Oslo next year, which is a manifestation of the solid commitment of more than 80 countries to the affirmations stated in the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Mister Chair,
The Philippines acknowledges emerging technologies as an equalizing factor that help countries achieve economic development. However, their use in the development and deployment of weapons pose challenges, especially in the humanitarian dimension of war. With this, we reiterate the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to develop governance structures to prevent the weaponization of emerging technologies. The Philippines supports the enhancement of international legal and normative frameworks with the view to increase their moderating influence upon the behavior of states that have the capability to use emerging and advanced technologies in the development of autonomous weapons systems, as well as the retention of meaningful human control in their development and use.
Thank you.