Philippines vows support for global humanitarian agenda

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has affirmed its support for the call of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for international solidarity to ensure the success of the global humanitarian agenda as it vowed to continue as the organization’s most vocal ally.

“We, the Filipino people, affirm and confirm our continuing, strong and active support and cooperation to ensure the success of the global humanitarian agenda,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in his speech before the UNHCR in Geneva, Switzerland.

Remulla said that the global humanitarian agenda should not only be about people, but should also focus on everyone’s well-being, health, livelihood and basic human dignity, as he emphasized the need for quick actions to address the plight of displaced vulnerable sectors including women, children and persons with special needs.

He said the Philippines, despite being a modest state, is always ready to stand with the international community by going beyond the country’s comfort zones to ensure the success of the global humanitarian agenda being pushed by the UNHCR.

He also called for equitable attention to different crises in different regions to ensure that no refugees and no hosting community will remain ignored or underfunded. He also pushed for “sufficient support for all hosting communities” that “do much of the heavy lifting and divert limited resources to help those in need.”

“We also emphasize the generosity of donors, and urge them to explore how assistance can be scaled up. In our aspiration of a better, more emphatic world, each of us should work hand-in-hand, to the best of our individual capacities,” Remulla said.

“There is an urgency to broaden the base of support beyond traditional donors and traditional hosting countries. It is our hope that middle countries can also become formidable, pro-active voices and champions, who can fill in gaps where needed, and increase contributions where possible,” he added.

He also echoed President Marcos’ call during the UN General Assembly for an international system that must work for the vulnerable, especially the marginalized, migrants and refugees.

Before concluding his speech, Remulla called on the UNHCR to give clear direction on how to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation, to ensure that the global food crisis and rising inflation do not hamper the delivery of humanitarian services and to ensure that it has sufficient resources and political support to fulfill its mandate.