6 October 2005, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris – Building on the success of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s participation in the recently concluded World Leaders Summit at the United Nations, New York (12-15 September 2005), Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo today rallied further global support for the Philippine initiatives on debt relief, interfaith dialogue and the welfare of migrant workers.  Secretary Romulo also challenged UNESCO to fulfill its mandate in “constructing the defenses of peace in the minds of men” by intensifying its contribution to poverty alleviation worldwide through education, science, culture and communication.

Speaking as the head of the Philippine delegation to the on-going 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, the Secretary pointed out that UNESCO will become stronger and even more relevant in the era of globalization if it focuses its competencies and expertise in the global fight against poverty, consistent with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.

“To our minds, nothing threatens peace so much as the cycle of poverty within which two-thirds of the world’s population remain trapped, condemning them to a life of unmitigated deprivation and misery,” said Secretary Romulo.

UNESCO, which is commemorating its 60th anniversary this year, is the specialized United Nations agency promoting international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. The Philippines has been an active member of UNESCO since 1946.

Specifically, the Secretary called on UNESCO to support the Philippine initiative for assisting heavily indebted developing countries negotiate debt-to-equity conversion projects for education, science and culture.
 
According to the Secretary, “The problem of poverty is worsened by the debilitating debt problem not only of the highly indebted poor countries but likewise the middle income countries – debt that deprives billions of people of the blessings of education and development.”

For this reason, the Secretary reiterated the key Philippine initiative in the United Nations calling for debt swaps in favor of education, science, culture and communication. He emphasized that, “Converting a portion of these debt-payments to fund crucial projects in education, science, culture and communication – particularly in the least-developed countries – is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and should be given first priority.”

The Secretary also pursued within UNESCO another key Philippine initiative in the United Nations calling for greater international cooperation on interfaith dialogue.

The Philippines’ interfaith dialogue initiative is consistent with UNESCO’s central role in the promotion of cultural diversity.

According to Secretary Romulo, while “cultures and religions differ in their form, shape and expression, they all share a common humanity.”

Secretary Romulo informed UNESCO that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo convened a successful informal inter-faith summit at the UN headquarters in New York last September, which adopted a declaration calling for greater inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilizational dialogue and cooperation to ensure a lasting and durable peace and understanding at the global, regional and national levels.

Secretary Romulo likewise reiterated Philippine support for UNESCO’s flagship program on “Education for All”, saying that the Philippines “finds merit in the proposal to put three core-initiatives at the center of this Education-for-All program: literacy, teacher training and the global initiative for HIV/AIDS education.”

Romulo emphasized that UNESCO’s “Education for All” program should also “touch the lives” of migrant workers.  Romulo pointed out that in the Philippine experience, educating migrant workers results in better options and greater protection of migrant workers’ rights.

In his statement, the Secretary also asked for support for the Philippines as the Asia Pacific Center for Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Development.

On UNESCO’s competence in science, the Secretary expressed Philippine support for UNESCO’s priority for water and associated ecosystems. “Critical interventions must consequently be made to ensure effective water-resource management,“ the Secretary stressed.

The Secretary also lauded UNESCO’s involvement in global disaster management in the wake of last December’s devastating Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, which claimed over 300,000 lives. UNESCO recently created the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System, providing a network for the timely exchange of technical and scientific information and national capacity building. The Secretary expressed the hope that UNESCO will also lend its expertise and coordination mechanisms to similarly situated countries in the Pacific Rim.
 
The Secretary also recognized the transformative power of knowledge societies.  He stressed that, “We support the information communication technologies for intercultural dialogue and open distance learning as building blocks of social cohesion.”

Finally, the Secretary voiced Philippine support for UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura’s re-election to a second term at the helm of UNESCO, saying that this would allow Matsuura to carry through with Organization’s reform process, anchored on streamlining its work in accordance with its core constitutional mandate. END.