SFA-AGR-803-07                                                                                                                                      25 OCT 2007

REMARKS OF THE

 HONORABLE DR. ALBERTO G. ROMULO

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

during the

WREATH LAYING CEREMONIES AT THE

CARLOS P. ROMULO TOMBSITE

24 October 2007

Your Excellencies, the Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Ms. Nileema Noble, UN Resident Coordinator,

The Officials and Staff of UN Agencies and other International Organizations,

The Officials and Staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs,

Colleagues in Government,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I wish to express my appreciation for your presence here this morning, which underscores our common commitment to the ideals of the United Nations.

Sixty-two years ago today, the UN came into being. Under its Charter, the peoples of 60 nations, through their respective governments, resolved to bend their united efforts to the end that all nations, large and small, may live together in peace and without fear. 

On this day, therefore, we take pride and satisfaction in recognizing that every country and every citizen is a stakeholder in this great enterprise.

Relevance of the United Nations

The United Nations remains of utmost importance especially in these times of major global challenges

The widening gap between rich and poor countries, climate change, population movements, illicit trafficking in arms and drugs, the spread of pandemic diseases -- these are global challenges which individual States cannot manage on their own. As such, they are placed on the agenda of the UN.

In response, the UN undertakes initiatives and builds global consensus to create wider awareness of and more concerted action on these problems. These measures cover, among others, the environment and development, human rights, social progress, women, and human settlements. 

Towards this end, we fully support the United Nations in seeking to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015.  We must work to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, to achieve universal primary education, to promote gender equality, and to reduce child mortality.  

Encouragingly, recent reports indicate that there has been much progress towards the attainment of these goals.  In the Philippines, for example, the portion of the population living in extreme poverty has been drastically cut from 20.4 percent in 1990 to 10.2 percent in 2006.

Truly, the purposes and principles for which the UN stands are as valid today as they were at the bright moment of its founding. The ends which it has sought to attain -- peace and prosperity for all nations, in conditions that safeguard and nourish human dignity and freedom, are no less desirable now, than they were six decades ago.

Honoring an Outstanding Filipino

This ceremony is also an auspicious occasion for us to honor the memory of an outstanding Filipino, who addressed the founding session of the UN with the words, “Let us make this floor the last battlefield!”

As one of the founding fathers of the UN, General Carlos P. Romulo reposed immense faith in the capability of the UN to help meet the world’s aspirations for peace and development. In the General’s life, there is ample testimony as to the value he passionately placed on the collective wisdom of the world community in our combined effort to build a safer, more prosperous and more just world.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen:

Today, in these hallowed grounds of the Libingan ng mga Bayani, as we celebrate the 62nd founding anniversary of the UN, please join me in a moment of quiet reflection as we pay tribute to General Carlos P. Romulo, the great statesman so fondly remembered in the Philippines as “Mr. United Nations” and to those who came before us, for their foresight in establishing an organization that seeks to forge a stable and secure international system, that aims to reflect the universal moral conscience of humankind, and that provides the indispensable forum for nations to come together in the search for peace and progress for all humanity.

Thank you and good day!

/allan