BY SOME TWIST of fate, the Philippines no longer dons the role of an underdog insofar as its claim over the West Philippine Sea is concerned.
This comes as the Philippines assumed the chairmanship of the 6th Committee (Legal) of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, after hosting the Foreign Ministerial Meeting (FMM) on “Reinforcing Cooperation to Achieve a Secure and Stable Maritime Domain.”
Ambassador Enrique Manalo in his capacity as Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, delivered the opening statement of the Sixth Committee (Legal) at the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The Sixth Committee deals with legal questions, as well as the codification and progressive development of international law. It serves as the UN General Assembly’s primary forum for legal matters.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro thanked the member states for their confidence in electing Manalo as chairman.
BIGGER AUDIENCE
The FMM meeting had a strong turnout of invited countries, rising from 26 IN 2024 to 40 this year. Last year’s participating countries were primarily in Asia, Europe and North America but this year saw more regions represented, including Latin America and Africa.
All 10 ASEAN countries participated in the event.
Among the 40 countries that attended FMM were: Australia, Estonia, Greece, Japan, The Netherlands, Romania, United Kingdom and the United States.
Twenty-eight countries delivered interventions focusing on the role of the multilateral system in ensuring peace and stability in the maritime domain, UNCLOS (or the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) as the legal framework for the oceans.
SOUTH CHINA SEA
Among the highlights of the so-called “interventions” is the need for greater cooperation in the sustainable use of marine resources, maritime safety in the South China Sea as a continuing concern, the importance of the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes, and the need to respect international courts and tribunals, including the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal.
Acknowledging the current challenges in ensuring a secure and stable maritime domain, there was renewed commitment to multilateralism and the shared stewardship of the world’s oceans.
In particular, there was emphasis on international law, cooperation across shared maritime issues, such as the protection of the marine environment, ensuring freedom of navigation and commerce, facilitating global connectivity, and protecting critical marine infrastructure such as undersea cables.
ENFORCEMENT FUND
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced that America will pitch in $55 million in new funding for maritime law enforcement in the Indo-Pacific.
“As a growing coalition across regions, we reaffirmed international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the constitution of the ocean and the legal framework in addressing global challenges to security and stability at sea.” Secretary Lazaro said at the meeting.
“It is a great honor and privilege for me personally and for my country, the Philippines, and is in line with our long-standing commitment to the rule of law,” Ambassador Manalo said.
CONSENSUS BUILDING
Manalo urged delegates to uphold the tradition of consensus-building and cooperation, emphasizing that its work comes at a crucial time for multilateralism, as international law faces mounting global challenges.
“At times of increased challenges, our work gains heightened importance, and our commitment to delivering its mandate should gain renewed focus,” he stated.
During its opening session, the Committee adopted its program of work for the session, which includes 34 agenda items, and established three working groups—on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts, Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism, and Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters (PPED).
The Philippines will continue to chair the Working Group on PPED, which aims to advance work on a treaty on disasters.