Thank you, Mr. High Representative,
The Philippines congratulates you and the UN Alliance of Civilizations Group of Friends led by Spain and Turkey for convening today’s first meeting on the UNAOC’s progress report in 2021 and its programming plans in 2022.
Since its establishment 17 years ago, the UNAOC has consistently served as a global, multi-stakeholder platform for intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation.
Never have the five (5) pillars of UNAOC been so relevant to promote reconciliation, build solidarity and nurture peace in a continuing pandemic context.
The Philippines is also pleased to have contributed to the UNAOC Trust Fund in 2021.
We continue our advocacy work to promote a culture of peace at the national, regional and multilateral levels:
At the national level, the Philippines remains strongly committed to bring just and lasting peace in southern Philippines by adhering to a peace and development roadmap that is inclusive, participatory, conflict-, culture- and gender-sensitive for the Bangsamoro Peace Process.
As President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is “proof of our determination to bring genuine peace and development to Muslim Mindanao through a responsive government that truly reflects the identity of its people.”
At the regional level and in line with the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the 2017 ASEAN Declaration on Culture of Prevention (CoP) for a Peaceful, Inclusive, Resilient, Healthy and Harmonious Society enhances ASEAN-UN cooperation through strategic policies such as transformative social protection, intercultural dialogue, and values-based education.
At the multilateral level, the Philippines is committed to the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes on its 40th Anniversary this year.
Since 2004, both the Philippines and Pakistan have co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution under the Culture of Peace agenda which promotes interreligious and intercultural dialogue.
I also wish to underline three (3) action points:
- First, it is important to renew our efforts in advancing intercultural and interreligious dialogue as an effective tool to prevent conflicts. A more robust implementation of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech is key.
- Second, the Philippines calls on the UNAOC and the UNAOC Group of Friends to actively engage in the upcoming thematic consultations on the “Frameworks for a better world – promoting peace, international law and digital cooperation” under the Secretary-General’s Report on Our Common Agenda.
- Third, we recommend that the UNAOC build synergies with other international and regional organizations working across the UNAOC’s five pillars, such as UNESCO, UN Women, IOM, ILO, and ASEAN, among others.
Excellencies,
Finally, the UNAOC Group of Friends represents an ideal and an identity that envisions a world at peace through acceptance, mutual respect and reconciliation.
I thank you. END