Enhanced Partnership for Safer Seas: The Philippines and the UK Convene Workshop on Maritime Security Cooperation
MANILA 21 October 2024 – The Philippines and the United Kingdom convened a week-long workshop on maritime security cooperation in Manila.
The workshop, one of the key follow-up action points from the 2nd PHL-UK Maritime Dialogue held in London in July 2024, aimed to move forward discussions into concrete actions, and strengthen the maritime security partnership and build upon the existing collaborations between the two countries.
The workshop was conducted by the UK Department of Transportation (DfT) and the Maritime Domain Awareness Programme (MDAP). It featured a series of focused sessions delving into various aspects of maritime security strategies, approaches and methodologies, and cutting across and encompassing various sectors, from defense and law enforcement to livelihoods and humanitarian aid.
In his opening remarks, Maritime and Ocean Affairs Assistant Secretary Louis Alferez said that the workshop will help in efforts to strengthen the Philippines’ policy and institutional framework, especially towards helping “smoothen the whole-of-government coordination necessary for effective national responses and actions to maritime security challenges and concerns.”
There was a spirit of collaboration between the two countries, with participants discussing, sharing information, and exchanging views on maritime security risks and challenges, and jointly exploring and developing collaborative and robust approaches to addressing critical maritime issues. Leveraging the combined expertise of the Philippines and the UK, the participants considered the multi-faceted nature of maritime security, including the realm of maritime cybersecurity.
The workshop highlighted the shared value and commitment of the Philippines and the UK to the maintenance of the rules-based international order, and to reinforcing the primacy of the United Nations Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the Constitution of the Ocean. The workshop concluded with the Philippines and the UK reaffirming their commitment to working together to address maritime security challenges and promote a secure and stable maritime domain, and to further explore, enhance and enact comprehensive, practical and sustainable collaborative steps towards this end.
The workshop was one of the actionable outcomes of the 2nd Philippines-UK Maritime Dialogue held in London last July 2024. END
