OMEAA Holds 2023 Regional Consultation Meeting

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Ambassadors and their officers from Middle East and African foreign service posts pose for an official photo before the start of the 2023 Regional Consultation Meeting for Middle East and Africa, on 20 September 2023 in Dubai, UAE. (Photo credit: Philippine Consulate General of Dubai)

DUBAI 22 September 2023 – The Office of the Middle East and African Affairs (OMEAA) conducted the 2023 Regional Consultation Meeting (RCM) in Dubai UAE from 20-21 September 2023.  The meeting was held under the auspices of the Office of the Undersecretary for Bilateral and ASEAN Affairs (OUBRAA) and sponsored by the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA). 

The OMEAA RCM is a platform to gather information and critical insights from Philippine Heads of Posts in the region, as well as Heads of Offices from the Department of Foreign Affairs, to formulate new foreign policy directions more attuned to the dynamic events happening in the Middle East and African (MEA) region. It also seeks to align the strategies of Philippine foreign service posts (FSPs) with the DFA Strategic Plan 2023-2028 as well as the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028.

“The changing geopolitical and economic landscape in the Middle East and African regions necessitate a Philippine foreign policy that is dynamic, agile and responsive to these new realities. It requires a fresh approach in assessing the risks and opportunities presented by this region. We need to identify potential in other areas of our bilateral relations beyond the traditional views and interests (such oil and OFWs), in order to develop a more comprehensive and strategic outlook for the Middle East and African regions,” stated the Office of Planning and Policy Coordination Assistant Secretary,  Patrick Chuasoto.

RCM topics included Philippines’ national security, its migration and labor policies, the responsibilities of its FSPs to provide assistance-to-nationals and consular services,  best practices in cultural and public diplomacy, and PHL strategies amid the political and economic outlook of the MEA region. Technical discussions on the administrative, financial, budgetary and property concerns of FSPs  were  also ironed out  at the meeting. Presenters from the attached agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture provided a sectoral overview to RCM participants.

During his remarks, OMEAA Assistant Secretary Mardomel Celo D. Melicor emphasized the importance of enhancing engagements with countries in the MEA region and adjusting Philippine foreign policy priorities to a region in constant flux. He also acknowledged the vital role of FSPs as beacons for the Filipino diaspora whose potential may be leveraged to strengthen people-to-people ties with their host countries.

The last RCM was held in 2019 and with the current RCM’s success, OMEAA’s plans to hold in-person consultations with FSP in MEA more frequently in the future.

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OMEAA Asec. Mardomel Celo D. Melicor discusses PH foreign policy opportunities for the MEA region. 

Participants of the OMEAA RCM 2023 listening to the presentations.