Intervention by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the 15th ASEAN-UN Summit
To our Esteemed Guest,
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres,
Welcome.
Your Majesty, Excellencies,
At the outset, allow me to congratulate the United Nations (UN) on the successful 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, held under the theme “Better together: 80 years and more for peace, development, and human rights.”
This theme resonates deeply with ASEAN, for it speaks to the enduring partnership we share with the UN and the values that guide
our collective mission.
The ASEAN–UN Comprehensive Partnership remains a vital platform for advancing multilateralism at both the regional and global levels.
Over the years, this collaboration has strengthened our ability to confront transnational challenges.
As we prepare to implement the ASEAN-UN Plan of Action (2026–2030), we look forward to deepening this partnership in ways that will empower our communities, uplift our economies, and ensure that peace and prosperity remain within reach for all.
ASEAN and the United Nations have stood shoulder to shoulder in advancing preventive diplomacy and peacebuilding.
This commitment is exemplified in the nearly 5,000 personnel from ASEAN Member States serving in UN peacekeeping missions worldwide.
The Philippines, for its part, takes pride in being among the earliest and most steadfast contributors to UN peacekeeping.
From the Korean War to the Congo in the 1960s, and across 21 peacekeeping missions since, nearly 15,000 Filipino troops and personnel have served under the UN banner.
We affirm this commitment through our successful hosting of the ASEAN Peacekeeping Staff Exercise 3 (APSE3) in the Philippines, which equips potential peacekeepers from ASEAN Troop Contributing Countries with the necessary competencies to support UN Mission Areas.
We also welcome the significant progress achieved through the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) and the successful ASEAN WPS Summit last month.
These milestones reflect our region’s growing resolve to institutionalize women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and crisis response.
At the same time, the Philippines remains resolute in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and calls on ASEAN to fully harness its partnerships with the UN to accelerate meaningful progress.
As we confront the defining challenges of our time, we must ensure that our collective efforts are guided by a common vision.
The Philippines will work closely with ASEAN to advance the Complementarities Initiative 2.0 — a renewed roadmap that will further strengthen the synergies between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, ASEAN Vision 2045, and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
In this regard, the ASEAN–UN Joint Strategic Plan of Action on Disaster Management IV (2021–2025) continues to demonstrate the value of close multilateral cooperation in strengthening disaster preparedness and response across the region.
Through this partnership, ASEAN and the UN have coordinated timely and effective emergency responses to recent major disasters, particularly Typhoon Yagi and the Myanmar earthquake.
This exemplifies the interoperability of regional and international mechanisms in times of crisis.
As a proud maritime and archipelagic nation, the Philippines draws strength and identity from the vast waters that connect our islands
and sustain our people.
This deep bond with the sea is at the heart of our commitment to protect, preserve, and promote the sustainable use of our marine resources for present and future generations.
In this spirit, we are proud to be a part of the family of nations that have ratified the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).
Our ratification of the BBNJ Agreement solidifies the Philippines’ commitment to uphold the rules-based order governed by international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and to fulfill its duty to protect and preserve the marine environment, including in the high seas.
The agreement is especially important as the Philippines is adjacent to wide swathes of high seas in the Pacific and pockets of high seas in the South China Sea, as confirmed by the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
On this note, we will seek to apply the Agreement to the pockets of the high seas in the South China Sea.
Your Majesty, Excellencies,
As a trusted partner, pathfinder, and committed peacemaker, the Philippines thanks our ASEAN colleagues for their steadfast endorsement of our bid for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for 2027–2028.
If elected, the Philippines will continue to uphold the primacy of the rule of law and the peaceful settlement of disputes in the maintenance of international peace and security.
For the true measure of our partnership lies not only in words, but in the progress we secure for our peoples.
As we chart the course ahead, ASEAN and the United Nations must rally behind a development agenda that leaves no one behind and upholds dignity for all.
This will require not only enhanced coordination across ASEAN and UN bodies, but also bold and innovative approaches, from digital
public infrastructure to the ethical application of artificial intelligence and green technologies.
These efforts will help transform sustainable development from a shared aspiration into a lived reality for all people.
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