Marcos cites stronger UN ties as coordinator ends Philippine post
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MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked outgoing United Nations representative Gustavo González on Friday, January 31, during his final day of service in the Philippines, citing strengthened UN support during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Bangsamoro transition.
“You did so much between the UN and the Philippines,” the Presidential Communications Office quoted Marcos as saying during a farewell ceremony in Malacañang.
“I was looking at the time that you were here. There’s a very, very large increase in engagements between the United Nations and the Philippines – specifically COVID, the BARMM,” Marcos said.
Friday marks González's final day of work as the UN's resident and humanitarian coordinator in the Philippines. He is also retiring from active service in the UN.
“Mr. President, thank you so much. I very much appreciate your time but today is also my last day as a UN active officer. So I’m going to retire. No doubt that the Philippines will be in my heart because this is a special moment for me,” González said.
During González's nearly five-year term in the Philippines, the UN supported the delivery of vaccines at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and provided technical assistance for the Bangsamoro transition.
His office also helped mobilize humanitarian aid during several natural disasters, including the response to Typhoon Odette in 2021.
Prior to his Philippine posting, González served as the United Nations Development Programme's Sub-Regional Development Coordinator for the Syria-related crisis from 2013 to 2017, managing operations in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey.
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