Philippines, 2011

Allow me at the

outset to congratulate Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz

Al-Nasser on his election and to offer the Philippines’

full support for his leadership in this sixty-sixth session

of the General Assembly.

Our collective experience as one United Nations

has brought into focus the reality that only when

nations work together in firm and determined resolve

can we begin to address the many difficulties that

confront us. Two global wars exposed our vulnerability

to leaders and nations that do not hesitate to use

violence to resolve disputes and underscored the need

for an international system to govern the behaviour of

States.

That is the rules-based framework that underpins

everything we want to build, raise and do as one

United Nations. That framework — built on our shared

values and common aspirations — provides the way by

which we can effectively move together as one global

community towards our common objectives. For the

Philippines, therefore, this session’s theme — “The

role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by

peaceful means” — is most relevant and opportune.

A rules-based system will work in a sustained

manner only if the rules themselves are based on

principles of justice and equity. Recent events across

the globe, particularly in the Middle East, have shown

us that individuals rise together for what they believe is

just and equitable. Individuals clamour for the rule of

law based on equity and fairness. When they realize the

injustice of repressive and iniquitous rule, they do not

hesitate to bring effective and positive change.

We must continue to work to eliminate nuclear

weapons and curtail the illicit trade in conventional

weapons and in small and light arms in order to

preserve peace and our very existence. The successful

2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on

the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons showed the

collective resolve of States parties to move further

forward in ridding the world of those weapons. We

have already agreed to convene a conference by 2012

on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of

nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass

destruction. The holding of that conference will take us

closer to our goal.

To build peace, we need to provide and

strengthen conditions that encourage the full progress

and prosperity of all nations and peoples. We must

ensure that international trade and development

support that end. The Philippines therefore calls for a

fair, open and rules-based multilateral trading system

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and the conclusion of the Doha Round. We must

likewise redouble our efforts to achieve the

Millennium Development Goals. The target date of

2015 is upon us and much work remains to be done.

The Philippines is one of world’s 17 mega-

diverse countries and has a great stake in ensuring that

global biodiversity is protected and maintained. We

have been described as the epicentre of global marine

biodiversity, and we host the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) Center for Biodiversity. As

we look forward to the United Nations Conference on

Sustainable Development next year, we join the call for

a more powerful expression of the entire world’s

political commitment to sustainable development.

With the human person at the core of all our

efforts, we must always strive to uphold human dignity

and human rights. That holds true for migrant workers.

The Philippines has close to 10 million Filipinos

overseas, contributing to global socio-economic

development. In line with the rules-based approach, the

Philippines supports the establishment of guidelines

that would ensure the welfare of all migrant workers.

Additionally, we must renew our resolve to

address the evils of human trafficking. The Philippines

is a founding member of the Group of Friends United

against Human Trafficking, an informal association of

United Nations Member States that seeks to help

reinvigorate and consolidate the global fight against

trafficking in persons. At the core of the initiative is the

implementation of the United Nations Global Plan of

Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Aside from establishing rules to protect migrant

workers and to prevent human trafficking, the global

community needs to explore measures to more

effectively assist developing countries in evacuating

their nationals in instances of disaster or internal

conflict. The Philippines also supports efforts at the

United Nations to enhance partnerships, including with

private sector actors, in strengthening the international

humanitarian and emergency response system.

The Philippines recognizes that the promotion

and protection of human rights are of vital importance

to securing peace and socio-economic development,

promoting the rule of law and strengthening

democracies. The Philippines Government likewise

recognizes women as agents of socio-economic growth

and change, and thus strongly advocates their full

participation in nation-building.

The Philippines is pleased to announce that, on

30 August, we deposited our instrument of ratification

of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal

Court. This was an historic moment for my country and

my people. We have stood up against the impunity of

colonial rule and of a dictatorship. Now, we stand

together with the rest of the world in saying “never

again” to impunity in any corner of our world.

Firm in the desire to contribute to global efforts

to safeguard the world against impunity, the

Philippines has fielded a candidate for election to the

Court, Ms. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, an experienced

trial judge and international legal scholar with a

distinguished and long career in public service. We ask

all our partners and friends to support her candidature.

As we look to strengthen the ramparts of peace,

we recognize the important role and contributions of

United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The

Philippines stands ready to do its part to ensure that the

lines of peace are fortified and continuously expanded.

The Philippines lauds the heightened interaction and

dialogue among the Secretariat, the General Assembly,

the Security Council, troop- and police-contributing

countries and other key stakeholders in the global

peacekeeping agenda.

As we strive to reinforce peacekeeping operations

on land, so too should we continue to exert efforts in

maintaining stability and security at sea. Maritime

piracy, after all, imperils the lives of seafarers and

disrupts global trade. Today, around 70 Filipino

seafarers are still being held hostage by pirates

operating in the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian

Ocean. We must continue to work diligently to counter

these sea pirates, who have no place in our modern,

civilized world.

To strengthen the international rules-based

regime, the Philippines advocates reforming the United

Nations, particularly the Security Council, to make it

more resilient, relevant and responsive. The record

shows that it is only the Philippines that has presented

specific drafts resolutions concretely setting forth

proposals on the five key issues: categories of

membership, question of the veto, size of the enlarged

Security Council and working methods, relationship

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between the General Assembly and the Security

Council, and the question of regional representation.

Terrorism continues to cast its dark shadow on all

of us. The decapitation of terrorist organizations has

not put an end to terrorism. We need to address the root

causes and conditions that turn individuals with so

much passion into beasts that know nothing but

violence to achieve their ends. Among many things, we

need to further examine how economic

disenfranchisement, intolerance and radicalization

contribute to the growth of terrorist groups.

The rule of law, including the 1982 United

Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),

is the key to finding solutions to disputes over

conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea. As we

prepare to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of

UNCLOS next year, let all States parties remember not

just our rights, but also our obligations, for the rule of

law is the bedrock on which the growth and

development of our community of nations is built.

Adherence to the rule of law provides stability and

certainty in the conduct of relations among States. In a

world defined by unequal distribution of economic,

military and political resources and might, the rule of

law is the great equalizer, ensuring that rights are

protected and responsibilities complied with.

Adherence to the rule of law prevents conflicts. In

instances of dispute, particularly of a territorial nature,

the rule of law ensures a peaceful settlement and

resolution.

The rule of law has guided the Philippines in all

its actions as a responsible member of the international

community. The Philippines realizes that only when the

rule of law prevails can all stakeholders and the world

benefit from a region of such importance strategically

and in terms of resources. We adhere to ASEAN’s 1992

Manila declaration on the West Philippine Sea and the

2002 declaration on the conduct of parties in the West

Philippine Sea. We call on other parties to do so as

well. We also welcome the efforts and support of other

stakeholders in working towards a lasting, just and

peaceful solution to the conflicting claims in our

region.

Allow me to conclude by saying that

underpinning the success of all our efforts in the

United Nations is adherence to the rule of law and a

rules-based international system. Out of the horrors of

war, we have resolved as one global community to

build and strengthen the ramparts of peace and

development. Those ramparts, strong as they may be,

can easily disintegrate when even just one nation

behaves contrary to the rules and norms we have all

agreed to abide by. It is our obligation as individual

sovereigns States and as a collective global community

that all nations, large or small, behave responsibly

through the adherence to the rule of law and a rules-

based regime. Only then can we hope to enjoy the

benefits of our world and live together in greater peace,

progress and prosperity.