Secretary Domingo L. Siazon, Jr.
Excellencies,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
My colleagues in the government,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
 

 Welcome to the commemoration of the 55th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.  This occasion offers an important opportunity to assess the value of the UN as an instrument for the promotion of peace, the pursuit of common prosperity and the provision of social justice and security without distinction as to race, religion, level of development, and ideology.

The urgency that lies ahead

 While we congratulate ourselves, as members of the UN, for the various actions that have been taken to feed the hungry in East Africa, to stave off further bloodshed in Sierra Leone, to stop continuing ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, and to build strong foundations for a new nation in East Timor, we do not need to remind ourselves of the resurgence of violence in the Middle East, particularly in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  This underlines the urgency that lies ahead for the United Nations.  Needless to say, the volatile situation in that region is almost as old as the UN itself, and, in a sense, serves as a barometer of how  successful the UN and its member states are  in pursuing peace.  But it is these very same difficulties which will offer us the opportunities for discovering the better path to a world that is free, just and prosperous.  Indeed, our times are characterized by stark failures in our fulfillment of the vision of the founders of the UN, yet these same failures are set amidst encouraging signs of hope.

Recent positive developments

We rejoice with the international community at the peaceful turn-over of power in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  We have applauded the rapprochement between North Korea and South Korea, and more significantly, between the U.S. and the former.  These and other positive global developments give us new spirit and the renewed energy to go on.

New initiatives in peacekeeping

 The Philippines notes with appreciation that the peacekeeping and peace building role of the United Nations has been placed at the forefront of the world’s attention.   We welcome the report of the Brahimi panel, and take note of its being a major contribution to the discussions on the improvement of the UN’s capability in peace operations.  The Philippines, as a founding member of the UN and as a major contributor of UN peacekeeping personnel, supports the central role of the UN in this vital area.  We are committed to participate in UN peace operations as much as our resources will allow.  Of course, we will continue to emphasize the need for preventive diplomacy, rather than reactive peacekeeping.

Security Council reform

 We also welcome the commitment of the Security Council to address the root causes of conflict in all its dimensions - political, economic and social.  The Philippines also joins the international consensus on the need for Security Council Reform, particularly to address the concerns of the greater membership of the General Assembly as pronounced in the current UNGA session.

Philippine adherence to UN Core Treaties

 I am happy to inform all of you that, of the 25 core treaties and conventions identified by the Secretary General for signature during the Summit, the Philippines is a signatory to all but two.  During the Summit, the Philippines signed the Optional Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.  I am also glad to announce that the Philippine Senate will soon ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.

An opportunity like no other

 We stand before the world today with a unique and unparalleled opportunity to choose the correct road for pursuing our common destiny.  The world’s peoples, as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said, look to us to make the crucial and difficult decisions that will affect the lives of future generations.  If we fail to stand up to the test as peoples of the United Nations, then our quest for peace, our quest for equitable economic development, our quest for a cleaner planet, and our quest to uphold the value of human life, a life without fear, will go nowhere - much as it almost has these past 55 years.

 Let me repeat what has often been said, that, without the UN, our situation would be for worse than it is today.  We need the UN, now, more than ever.  The Philippines, as it has for the past 55 years of the UN’s existence, will remain at the forefront of the organization’s efforts to achieve the world’s desire for global peace and security, development, respect for human rights, and the attainment of the full potential of mankind.

 Thank you.