Slovenia backs Philippines' bid for UN Security Council seat

MANILA, Philippines — Slovenia's foreign minister has expressed support for the Philippines' campaign to secure a non-permanent seat in the powerful United Nations Security Council.

The statement of support by Slovenia's deputy minister and minister of foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon came during a press conference on Tuesday, March 11, following bilateral talks with Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo. 

Slovenia currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the term spanning 2024-2025. The Philippines has been seeking support for its bid since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the country's planned candidature in a speech before the UN General Assembly in September 2022.

"We are a non-permanent member of the Security Council strongly committed to international law, to the UN Charter, to human rights, and we share those values together with Philippines," Fajon said. "And we also are fully supportive of the candidacy of Philippines to the Security Council in the near future."

Fajon's three-day visit to the Philippines from March 10 to 12 is the first by a Slovenian foreign minister in the 31 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

On Tuesday, Fajon oversaw the formal opening the embassy of Slovenia in the Philippines — the first in all of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states. 

Fajon said the opening of Slovenia's first embassy in the Philippines represents a "historic opportunity" as it will serve as the country's first diplomatic mission covering the ASEAN region. 

The newly opened embassy in the Philippines signals Slovenia's intent to "strengthen our political, economic relations, people-to-people contacts as two very like-minded countries," Fajon said.

The Slovenian foreign minister highlighted that both Slovenia and the Philippines are "like-minded countries" that share common values and challenges and potential areas of cooperation, including in space, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, energy and renewables.

"What I like speaking to each other [is] that we are friendly countries, and we really want to promote peace and political dialogue," Fajon said.

Bilateral talks 

During bilateral discussions, both officials addressed a range of issues including developments in the Indo-Pacific region, ASEAN, and the West Philippine Sea, as well as global concerns regarding Ukraine and the Middle East. 

Manalo thanked Fajon for expressing solidarity with the Philippines on matters of security and adherence to international law in the South China Sea. He noted Slovenia's support for the 2016 Arbitral Award, which he described as underscoring "our mutual commitment to a rules-based international order that is governed by international law." 

Upholding international order

When asked about how to address the growing challenges to the international order and the role of the United Nations, both officials emphasized the importance of multilateralism and adherence to international law.

"For Slovenia, the respect of international law, the international humanitarian law and the UN Charter is of extreme importance. There is no alternative to that," Fajon said.

The Slovenian minister cited as examples her country's commitment to international tribunals, including the International Criminal Court (ICC), and to its membership in the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

"These are the values that I believe we share with the Philippines. And I think in the Security Council, we really have to work very hard to protect these values and the work of the institution that is the only guarantor for the collective or the world peace and security," Fasjon said.

"We need like-minded countries such as Philippines and Slovenia to work closely together and to protect our shared values," she added.

Manalo similarly said the best way forward is for countries to value multilateralism and "to work with other countries to create greater awareness of the importance of adhering to a rules-based order."

"We're very happy to see Slovenia on the Security Council. They share our same values, our same positions on many issues and we intend to support Slovenia in whatever way we can during its term in the Security Council," Manalo said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs chief added that the country's campaign for a non-permanent Security Council seat "is also based on these important values and principles."

"I think that is the best way to address the challenges that we face today, especially at the multilateral level," Manalo said.

What's the UN Security Council? Fierce competition for seats in the 15-member UN Security Council, one of the world's most powerful international bodies, has pushed nations like the Philippines to launch campaigns years in advance.

A seat on the council grants countries the power to vote on resolutions, including those that authorize military action to maintain or restore global peace and security.

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Russia and China, in particular, have faced criticism for rampant human rights violations.

Despite these concerns, their permanent seats were established after World War II, and there is currently no mechanism to remove or replace permanent members.