UN recognizes ASEAN's role in global cooperation

THE United Nations recognized the crucial role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in strengthening global cooperation and promoting the primacy and respect for international laws, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

- JOCELYN REYES

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, in a briefing in New York on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), said this was conveyed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by UN Secretary General António Guterres during their meeting.

Marcos is in New York for a two-day working visit and is expected to be back in Manila by March 11, according to Castro.

Marcos and Guterres met on the sidelines of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

“He also recognized the crucial role of ASEAN in strengthening global cooperation. He commended ASEAN for upholding the primacy of international law and its full respect for the UNCLOS,” Castro said.

She said the UN official also expressed the international organization's full support for the Philippines' chairship of ASEAN this year and expressed hope that the Philippines' voice would continue to be heard in the UN.

“He also wished the President the best in campaigning for our (Philippines') candidature. The Philippines has been known in the UN as the 'bridge builder,' and he wants to see and hear the voice of the Philippines in the UN as loud as possible,” she added.