This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 100 Anniversary of the birth of one of Sweden's most prominent statesmen, former Secretary General of the United Nations Dag Hammarskjold. Today, the UN is the single most important forum for managing international relations and it still carries the mark of Dag Hammarskjold's boldness and creativity.

I would like to commend Ambassador Markovic and the Embassy of Sweden for initiating this Forum on the Millennium Plus Five Summit Agenda, as it will be an invaluable opportunity for government, civil society and academe to exchange views on this most significant and historic of events. My thanks also go to the Department of Labor and Employment, the UN Philippines System, the International Organization on Migration and the Asian Institute of Management for co-organizing this event.

As the United Nations takes on the challenge of shaping the future of an increasingly interdependent world, the global community must respond with a cooperative and integrative approach to solving new and emerging problems, anchored firmly on an honest appreciation of present facts that, in turn, must draw its strength from a deep understanding of the lessons learned from the past.

Today, we proceed with the task of charting a better future for all the world's posterity by drawing valuable lessons from the experience of Dr. Dag Hammarskjold.

Dr. Hammarskjold and the UN: A Past Revisited

As UN Secretary General, Dag Hammarskjold showed legendary skills and demonstrated an outstanding ability to think creatively about the role of the UN, particularly in dealing with international threats to peace and security. His impartiality, wisdom, imagination, vision, principled stands and strength of character played a significant and decisive role in shaping the United Nations in its formative years, from a young, uncertain international grouping built on Utopian ideals to an effective instrument of the collective global will to ensure world peace.

His tenure at the helm of the UN, from 1953 to 1961, saw a world that was deeply divided by political and social ideologies. The run-up from the nomination to the election of Secretary General - which included another great UN statesman, Carlos P. Romulo - brought to the fore the interplay between the UN general membership and of the permanent five members, and the importance of individual, principled leadership in redefining and reinvigorating the UN organization.

Dr. Hammarskjold's leadership was responsible for giving the UN a distinct and pro-active voice in global affairs, successfully preventing the organization from becoming a mere shadow of individual powers and a hollow shell of an international lowest-common denominator bureaucracy.

His achievements are legendary.  Dr.  Hammarskjold was the consummate negotiator, securing the release of downed American pilots from the People's Republic of China when China was still not represented in the UN. With his formidable strength of character and a creative intellect,  he practically invented the system of peacekeeping operations mandates and the role of the UN Secretary-General as global troubleshooter, to ensure the cessation of hostilities in the Suez and the Congo.

But with success came controversy. In the zero-sum environment of the Cold War, his triumphs would inevitably be considered offenses by others - thus calls were made for his resignation. Dr. Hammarskjold nevertheless withstood such barbs and soldiered on as Sec-Gen - until, tragically, his life was cut abruptly in 1961.

The UN Today:  Dr. Hammarskjold's Enduring Legacies

Dr. Hammarskjold's legacy to us today is a United Nations organization and community which strive to better the lot of humanity through dynamic and relevant cooperative action. Dr. Hammarskjold must certainly have nodded his approval at the outcome of the Millennium Summit and the formulation of the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs. He will certainly agree that the basis of peace and stability relies on the fulfillment of the basic needs of individuals and communities - the basis of the MDGs. Indeed, MDGs will best flourish in enabling environments of peace and security, while development itself allows peace to take root.

As Mr. Kofi Annan, the incumbent Secretary-General, has eloquently phrased it in his landmark report In Larger Freedom: Towards Development. Security and Human Rights for All, the world community must rededicate itself to the pursuit of freedom for mankind - Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear-to live a life of dignity, supported by a renewed UN system. He calls on us "to strengthen our collective security, lay down a truly global strategy for development, advance the cause of human rights and democracy in all nations, and put in place new mechanisms to ensure that these commitments are translated into action."

Parting UN's Future: Towards Reform and Reinvigoration

The reform and reinvigoration of the United Nations system is of fundamental importance. The Philippines greatly appreciates the efforts of the Secretary General in putting forth his vision for a renewed organization in his report. On our part, we would like to see progress made in the reform of the Security Council, particularly greater representation from among the various geographic regions, enhanced transparency and a better working relationship with regional organizations such as ASEAN.

New permanent and non-permanent members should only be admitted on the basis of criteria worked out by the General Assembly, with the aim of improved regional representation. The role of the UNGA should be affirmed as the UN organization's main deliberative and representative body, while the powers of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) should be expanded to include oversight of the WTO and the Bretton Woods institutions. The idea of a Human Rights Council, as proposed by the Secretary General, deserves consideration and support as the world responds to the imperative of securing and protecting human rights.

Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be joining other Heads of State and Government next week in New York to review progress made towards these ends, particularly the MDGs, at the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the Millennium Summit. As you know, the MDGs commit nations to reduce poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and malaria, ensure environmental sustainability, and promote global partnership for development.

The Philippines is participating in this meeting as a UN member committed to the fulfillment of the MDGs. The Philippines will share its experience in implementing the goals, their status and trends, priority policies and programs, challenges and priorities for action, best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations on the way forward.

New Directions, Emerging Challenges at the UN General Assembly

The President will also discuss new initiatives we have launched in the UN, namely the Debt-for-Development initiative and the Inter-Faith Dialogue process. She will also express concerns over the global state of energy, particularly on how countries such as the Philippines are being made to endure great hardships as a result of the alarming rise in the prices of oil, and on the need to intensify international cooperation to alleviate this crisis. Because of the critical importance to the nation of our overseas workers, world migration concerns will also be raised. The need to further enhance international and regional cooperation in the global fight against terrorism and transnational crime will be another theme to be discussed by the President.

As President of the Security Council for the month of September, President Arroyo will preside over a Summit Meeting of the UNSC, to review ways in which the Council may help to advance the new global consensus on collective security and fight against terrorism. Again, the legacy of Dr. Hammarskjold is that he had forged new pathways to peace and security through the UN system, through peacekeeping and peacebuilding - which must be fortified by socio-economic and humanitarian development.

On its part, the Philippines currently has troops and policemen serving in most of the current PKOs of the UN, including the major operations in Timor Leste, Kosovo, Haiti and Liberia.

We have also recently ratified all the international conventions against terrorism,and are active in the global campaign against this scourge through our Chairmanship of the UNSC Resolution 1566 Committee on Anti-Terrorism Measures and Vice Chairmanship of the UNSCR 1540 Committee on Weapons of Mass Destruction. We are active in the realm of disarmament and non-proliferation, as evidenced by our current Chairmanship of the Hague Code of Conduct on Ballistic Missile Proliferation.

Continuing Challenges

Indeed, our world has profited from the genius of Dr. Hammarskjold whose lasting legacy, apart from his literary works, are his creative designs for the advancement of world peace and security. Today we are no longer belabored by the divisions caused by social and political ideologies, due partly to the pro-active diplomacy of Dr. Hammarskjold. Yet we are also faced by the sinister and insidious specter of terrorism that fuels the resentment, hatred and ignorance of peoples across boundaries, threatening the very fabric that holds the international community together.

While we continue to build on and strengthen the gains of the United Nations over the past six decades, the imperative of carving out a more responsive role for the United Nations remains.

Securing a more peaceful world will need more than the gravitas of superior social and political ideologies to bring to the core of civilized human society all of the world's peoples. We need to address the root causes that breed intolerance and fractiousness and bring about genuine, equitable development and honorable peace for all the world's peoples.

This is the challenge that we have to face up to, and guided by Dr. Hammarskjold, his lessons and legacies, we are hopeful that together, we shall all overcome that challenge.

Skol and Mabuhay!