Philippines, 2007

Mr. President, congratulations on your election as President of the

General Assembly. Congratulations also to our

Secretary-General, His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, who

was such a good friend of the Philippines when he was

Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea. We

embrace his vow to focus on strengthening the three

pillars of the United Nations: development, security

and human rights.

The United Nations is a pillar of development. It

plays a major large role for the Philippines. Poverty

alleviation is the most important part of our agenda and

our vision of transforming the Philippines into a

modernized nation in 20 years. We want to be actively

engaged in local, regional and global affairs, because

that is the future.

We believe in the power of the global trading

system to alleviate poverty and modernize nations

through market forces. That does not mean we believe

that countries like the Philippines are ready to compete

head-to-head today in every sector, but it does mean

that we cannot afford to be afraid of globalization.

By being increasingly connected to the world, the

Philippine economy has reached a new level of

maturity and stability, with some of the strongest

macroeconomic fundamentals in 20 years. Six years

ago, noone thought we could get more revenue, cut

down on tax cheats, strengthen the peso and move the

stock market. Noone thought we could bring our

budget into balance, which we did last month, or

prepay our debts and raise employment, but we have.

We must both grow our economy and sustain our

natural environment at the same time. We are

developing and promoting our “Green Philippines”

agenda. It emphasizes a sustainable economic model

that brings together economic opportunity and concern

for our environment.

At the Secretary-General’s High-level Event on

Climate Change earlier this week, United Nations

member nations focused on what the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto

Protocol meetings in Bali to be held in December 2007

should do. The Clean Development Mechanism under

the Kyoto Protocol has allowed developing countries

such as the Philippines to voluntarily reduce their

greenhouse gas emissions through private sector

initiatives. But there is a need to expand the carbon

market and to expand international cooperation and

financial support to promote strategies to adapt to

climate change.

Too many nations, both developed and

developing, believe the environment must be sacrificed

at the altar of growth. We believe otherwise. We

believe that we have a unique opportunity to get it right

from day one: to introduce new industries that are

clean and profitable.

That includes a biofuels industry that helps our

energy independence, creates jobs and keeps our nation

clean for future generations. We are further developing

our geothermal power, which is one of the two largest

in the world.

We reiterate our commitment to the global trading

system and, when that fails us, to strengthening the

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and

regional relations in order to bolster our economy.

The multilateral trading system, through the Doha

Round, remains the best option to address poverty and

improve standards of living around the world through

an agreed set of international trade rules. The Doha

Development Agenda was launched with an emphasis

on creating a developmental dimension and integrating

it into all elements of the negotiations. To make the

Doha Round truly a development round, there must be

a greater coherence of policies among international

development institutions, such as the World Bank, the

International Monetary Fund, the United Nations

Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Trade

Organization, so that trade is mainstreamed in the

development agenda and capacity-building can be

focused on trade competitiveness.

As part of capacity-building, we call on the

United Nations and our partners among developed

nations to strengthen South-South cooperation, wherein

developing nations with specific strengths can share

with other developing nations in need of their

strengths, funded by developed nations or multilaterals

such as UNDP.

The developed nations were the prime movers of

global trade when it suited them; now some countries

are slowing things down. That is not right, nor is it

good for our respective economies. But there has been

a ray of hope, with the developed countries declaring

that they are willing to maximize flexibilities in

exchange for greater market access.

On the sidelines of the current session of the

Assembly, we hope the contending countries can

continue consulting to find the right formula of subsidy

cuts and market access to break the Doha impasse.

But let us be clear: even as the Philippines works

tirelessly to move the talks forward, we are not going

to stand by and do nothing. For us, it is full speed

ahead; preferably with Doha, but full speed

nevertheless. We recognize that if the multilateral

trading system is fragmented into trading blocs, it will

result in a more complex set of trade rules. That could

incompatible with and detrimental to the interests of

developing nations. In the meantime, while we are

hoping for a successful conclusion to the Doha Round,

we have to maximize the economic opportunities

provided under bilateral and regional free trade

agreements. That will complement efforts under the

multilateral trading system.

At a time of uncertainty, when the Doha Round is

faltering, ASEAN has taken a bold step forward by

drafting its Charter. That is our first step to creating a

permanent sense of community. We are working

towards a single market with free movement of goods,

ideas and skilled talent.

In APEC, the world’s largest economy, the United

States, and the world’s fastest-growing economy,

China, are active participants. We have a strong

alliance with the United States, which remains our

largest trading partner and our strongest strategic ally.

We have stood shoulder to shoulder for many

generations. We expect to continue building on our

mature relationship with the United States.

We have also forged a strong relationship with

China. China’s rise is a significant opportunity for the

Philippines. Our overall relations are now more

confident and comprehensive.

Relations are not just about trade. They are also

about people, and this includes migration, a worldwide

reality. We thank the Secretary-General for supporting

the Philippine hosting of the Global Forum on

Migration and Development next year, and we invite

all Member States to participate.

Overseas Filipino workers are honoured by the

Government and the people for their sacrifice and

dedication to work, family and nation. We welcome

their contribution, but we are working towards the day

when Filipinos no longer need to go abroad for a job,

the day that overseas work is just another career

option. We believe that our ambitious economic

reforms will increasingly keep our best and brightest

right in the Philippines, closer to friends and families,

helping to build our communities and provide the next

generation of leadership.

The United Nations is a pillar of security and

human rights. It remains the central pillar underpinning

conflict resolution. Our country is among the largest, if

not the largest, contributor of police officers to United

Nations peacekeeping missions. The Philippines has

peacekeepers, both military and police, in Afghanistan,

Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, the

Sudan and Timor-Leste. We will continue our

participation to safeguard communities so that they

may overcome conflict and regain the peace needed to

pursue development.

Closer to home, I have personally advanced the

process of peace in Muslim and Christian Mindanao to

a new level of engagement, focusing on interfaith

dialogue, economic development and mutual security.

We have done so with the largest possible international

involvement, including that of the United Nations.

Peace in Mindanao is very much an issue of human

rights, as is poverty alleviation, our number-one issue.

The Philippines is the most democratic country in

our region. We have no tolerance for human rights

violations at home or abroad. We support the effort to

revitalize and refocus the work of the United Nations

in human rights. For that reason, the Philippines sought

and won a seat on the Human Rights Council.

The attention of the international community has

been drawn, with great reason and justification, to the

current situation in Myanmar. This is the time for

Myanmar to return to the path of democracy, to release

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi now and to involve all

the parties, including the National League for

Democracy, in the democratization and constitutional

processes.

In conclusion, the number of globe-sized issues

we will face in the twenty-first century will require

globe-sized cooperation. We must build bridges of

peace and prosperity, and the place to start is in

building a stronger United Nations.