Every September marks what is known as the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly. The UNGA is when heads of states or, in their absence, their distinguished representatives carry out their most influential role as messengers of peace. The UN after all was established in the aftermath of the Second World War with the nascent goal to bring peace among nations.
In a plenary known as the General Debate in the august hall of the General Assembly, world leaders deliver their speech centering on the theme. This year marks the 79th session with the theme, “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations.” The word “debate” connotes argument or deliberation but at the UNGA this means the presentation by leaders or top envoys of a country statement, which articulates their country’s aspirations as they align with the UN objectives.
For two straight years now, our Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Enrique A. Manalo, took the floor and stood as the voice of our country in the UNGA. Secretary Manalo on two occasions conveyed two compelling statements, which in my view represent our country’s role and responsibility at the Summit of the Future and the UNGA.
I immersed in the spirit of the UNGA by keeping glued to live streams from the UN’s web TV, by reading stories and breaking news feeds from The New York Times and, at night’s end, by asking the hubby about the highlights of the day and inquiring about the sidelights, such as, how it felt to shake hands with President Zelensky, how Meryl Streep (who attended a side event) looks like in person and how the atmosphere felt with President Biden around. I pictured how things were abuzz inside the most iconic building along Manhattan’s East River, as 193 multi-colored flags proudly fluttered on a cool autumn day.
At each event, speakers were allotted five and 15 minutes, respectively, to convey their countries’ stand on pressing world issues. Against a backdrop of unending wars, floods and droughts, the opportunities and dangers of AI and an apparently shared lament on how we are living in troubled times, I thought of how the commitment of world leaders validated anew the transformative power of collective initiatives. The recent gathering only confirmed that the UN remains as relevant as it was when first founded almost 80 years ago.
At the “Summit of the Future,” which focused on the “Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations,” Secretary Manalo verbalized our support “for multilateralism that puts people at the center.” Aligning our country’s hopes with the declaration on future generation, our foreign secretary stated our promise for inclusivity, highlighting “the role of women, youth, migrants, persons with disabilities, older persons and indigenous peoples, in shaping more humane, equal and just societies.” Harking back to our role as one of the founding members of the UN, Secretary Manalo restated the Philippines’ staunch commitment to remain a voice for peace.
From first world Japan, to the nation with the highest happiness index, Bhutan, to a country in Central Europe bursting with a vibrant culture, Slovenia, I took note of what their leaders had to say about their pact for the future. As his country’s response to the climate crisis, the Prime Minister of Slovenia single-mindedly spoke of what he calls “the most precious natural resource,” water. He talked about the abundance of water in Slovenia and how “super technology, computing power and AI” could be used in the effective management of water resources. He said that “water diplomacy” through advance technology and cooperative endeavors is a way forward for Slovenia to tackle climate change. Constrained to five minutes, the speakers didn’t get into the details of their pacts but concise statements embodied every nation’s plan of action in adherence to the pact for the future.
Unlike at the Summit of the Future where the leaders’ speeches are limited to five minutes each and the microphone is muted once they go beyond the time, it is not the case at the General Debate. While leaders have “voluntary” 15 minutes to deliver their country statement, a little bit of overtime is acceptable. In fact, not just a bit. I read from the UN website that the longest speech ever delivered by a world leader was in 1960. Fidel Castro of Cuba was said to have spoken for 269 minutes despite stating that “we shall do our best to be brief.”
At the General Debate, Secretary Manalo declared our commitment to multilateralism, echoing what our President refers to as “the single viable platform for collective action against transcendent global challenges.” He articulated the need “to reform the Security Council and revitalize the General Assembly” if the UN is to pursue its agenda in championing justice, international peace, security and development.
Our foreign secretary reiterated our definitive stand on the South China Sea issue: “The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea constitute the foundation of our policy on the South China Sea. The Award declares that claims exceeding entitlements beyond the limits of UNCLOS have no legal basis.”
He reaffirmed our vow to peacekeeping, referring to the Philippines as “a trusted partner, innovative pathfinder and committed peacemaker.” He also enjoined member-states to “support our bid for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the term 2027-2028.”
In the beginning of this speech, Secretary Manalo quoted what Carlos P. Romulo (who would become the first Asian president of the General Assembly) said in 1946, a line of which says, “We are not here to make peace, but to build for peace.” I’d like to believe that our steadfast, multi-faceted engagements and abiding presence in the UN forcefully speak of the realization of that role and vision.