Phl renews commitment to peaceful resolution of int’l disputes

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines has renewed before the United Nations its long-standing commitment to pursue a peaceful and rules-based resolution of all international disputes, including the current maritime row straddling the South China Sea.

Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, permanent representative to the UN, speaking on the rule of law before the UN General Assembly last Thursday, referring to the Philippines’ ongoing arbitration case against China to clarify the rules and maritime entitlements in the Southeast Asian region in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“It is paramount for all states to contribute in creating peace, order, stability and predictability in the seas,” Cabactulan said. “Allowing the disputes to fester for years will perpetuate more uncertainties; it is untenable.”

He stressed that the arbitration case would be “mutually beneficial to all claimant-countries and to the international community as a whole,” considering that half of the volume of sea-based world trade, or $ 5.3 trillion annually, passes through the region’s seas.

“Freedom in the high seas is essential to global peace and stability of the international economy,” he added.

Cabactulan cited the dispute settlement provisions of the UN Charter together with the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes.

He reiterated the Philippines’ support for the early conclusion of a binding code of conduct affecting the exclusive economic zone in the region, which President Aquino highlighted during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Brunei.

“A state’s maritime entitlements are only those established by UNCLOS. No country should make expansive maritime claims in violation of the international law, particularly UNCLOS,” Cabactulan said.

 Resolving these disputes through the rule of law is a civilized way to go forward,” he added.

In the run up to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals, the UN has upped the ante of its work on the rule of law and its relationship to the UN’s so-called “three pillars,” namely, peace and security, human rights and development.

Last year, the General Assembly adopted a consensus document on the rule of law, outlining key priorities ranging from the peaceful settlement of disputes, the role of international tribunals, counterterrorism, anti-corruption, sovereign equality and gender equality.