PH Reaffirms Support for Multilateralism, Rules-Based Order at Munich Security Conference

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo underlines the importance of preserving a rules-based order amid  fast-evolving global security environment at the Main Stage Panel Discussion, “Defending the UN Charter and the Rules-Based International Order” held on 18 February 2023 at the 59^th Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany.

MUNICH, 19 February 2023 – Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo called for the preservation and strengthening of multilateralism and a rules-based order amid the difficulties posed by post-pandemic recovery, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the escalating strategic rivalry between the United States and China, at the 59^th Munich Security Conference (MSC) held on 17-19 February 2023 in Munich, Germany.

The Secretary was a lead discussant in an exclusive roundtable event and a speaker at a Main Stage Panel Discussion at the 59^th MSC.

At the 17 February roundtable discussion on  “Bridging Troubled Waters – Mapping Escalation Potential in the Indo Pacific Region”, he reiterated the Philippines’ firm resolve to address the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea issue through peaceful and legal means.

“Rival claims can only be solved peacefully by adhering to peaceful and rules-based approaches. The Philippine approach, articulated long before and formalized in the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, enjoys the support of the international community,” the Secretary emphasized. He added that tensions caused by incidents and aggressive actions inconsistent with the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea are not conducive to promoting peace and stability.

At the 18 February Main Stage Panel Discussion entitled, “Defending the UN Charter and the Rules-Based International Order”, Secretary Manalo stated that the Philippines has consistently advocated a rules-based international order and that the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea vindicated the Philippines’ position that the nine-dash line is incompatible with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He cited the broad support within the international community for the 2016 Arbitral Award as a mooring for a rules-based maritime regime in the South China Sea.  He also underscored that the UN could have a bigger role in putting to fore the importance of adhering to the rule of law in the maritime domain.

Held annually, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) serves as a “unique platform for high-level debates on the greatest foreign and security policy challenges of our time.” This year, most of the discussions revolved around the ongoing impacts of the war in Ukraine, and various security flashpoints both on land and at sea, including the South China Sea. END