Departure Statement of

DR. ALBERTO G. ROMULO

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

On his official visit to France to

lead the Philippine Delegation in the

34^th Session of the UNESCO General Conference

17 October 2007

            The pursuit of greater peace and development is a national and global commitment for the Philippines.

The Philippine Government remains resolute in its efforts to lift the marginalized from poverty, to empower individuals through education and to draw together diverse peoples in greater understanding and mutual respect.

To achieve these ends, strengthening cooperation in all levels is crucial.  In the collective onward march to greater peace and development, the task of ensuring that no one is left behind remains.

UNESCO is a long-standing partner of the Philippines in transforming lives and communities and in pursuing development for the human person in its broadest and fullest sense.

Through cooperation in education, science, culture, communication and information, the international community continues to strengthen the defenses of peace in the hearts and minds of men and women.

At the 34^th Session of the UNESCO General Conference, I will reaffirm the Philippines’ commitment to work more closely with our partners in achieving our shared objectives as stated in our Millennium Development Goals.

In this regard, I will renew the call to support the debt-for-development initiative.  Through creativity in development financing, we will move ourselves closer to achieving the targets we have set.   

I will express the Philippines’ support for UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy that will make our organization more responsive to the needs of all stakeholders.  At the same time, I will highlight the Philippines’ achievements, particularly in significantly reducing extreme poverty from 20.4 percent in 1990 to 10.2 percent in 2006. 

While we have made inroads, I will reiterate the Philippine Government’s resolve to do even more, through initiatives in lifelong education and by strengthening efforts to bring peoples of various faiths and cultures in greater understanding.

At the sidelines of the 34^th Session of the UNESCO General Conference, I will renew the Philippines’ partnership with NGOs at the Journee des ONG Francaises des Philippines, a conference of French NGOs in the Philippines.

NGOs are an integral part of Philippine society and have contributed immensely to nation-building.  Our continuing collaboration with Philippine NGOs, as well as with international NGOS, will help support Philippine socio-economic development and is greatly valued.

My visit to Paris will be an opportunity to further strengthen ties with France with whom the Philippines shares aspirations for greater peace, progress and democracy.

I will meet with the Honorable Brice Hortefeux, the French Minister for Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-development.  We will explore ways by which we can intensify cooperation for the benefit of Filipino professionals.

To ensure that the Philippines retains its advantage in showcasing Filipino ingenuity in the international platform of expositions, I will also meet with Secretary General Mr. Vicente Loscertales of the Bureau International Des Expositions (BIE) to push for the Philippines’ re-election bid as member of the BIE Rules Committee. END        

/esgret