President Marcos Launches Philippine Pacific Initiative at Inaugural Conference on PH-Pacific Partnership for Sustainable Health Workforce and Health Security
MANILA 02 December 2024 – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. launched the Philippine Pacific Initiative, which aims to “leverage Filipino experience and expertise in support of Pacific nation-building,” through focused cooperation across four areas of resilience, namely public health, food security, labor mobility, and disaster preparedness.
The President made the announcement in a video message delivered at the closing ceremony of the inaugural Conference on Philippine-Pacific Partnership for a Sustainable Health Workforce and Health Security held on 27-29 November 2024.
The conference, organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, brought together health ministers from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu, as well as representatives from Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga.
The conference underscored the need for strengthened cooperation to confront shared challenges, including gaps in health system financing, governance, and the capacity of healthcare workforces.
“These are challenges no single nation can address alone. Global problems demand global solutions. Every sovereign state, especially our vulnerable maritime nations, has a critical role to play,” Foreign Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said.
President Marcos said the conference was only the beginning of what he envisions to be an “enduring partnership with all Pacific island countries.” He stressed that the Philippine Pacific Initiative intends to complement the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent adopted by Pacific leaders.
The President also said the Initiative builds on a long tradition of Philippine affinity for Pacific island states, which stems from shared vulnerabilities and experiences between the Philippines and the Pacific.
“The unique experiences of Pacific island communities inspire us to support the cause of small island developing states,” the President said, citing Philippine diplomatic advocacies “on issues as varied as climate action, sustainable development, disarmament and non-proliferation, and equitable global health cooperation.”
“The Philippines has always stood in support of the centrality of the Pacific Islands Forum in driving the agenda of Pacific affairs. At the same time, the Philippines has spoken about putting Pacific interests at the heart of the Indo-Pacific,” President Marcos said.
The President added that the Philippines’ engagement with the Pacific is anchored firmly on the principle of sovereign equality amongst all states.
“In our open, inclusive, and rules-based international order, there should be no ‘major countries’ or small states. All our voices must be equally heard,” he said.
“It is in this spirit that the Philippines has sought to contribute modestly to the development of Pacific island countries on the basis only of your own experiences and of your own needs. We are firm in our belief that you should be the only driver of your own development agenda,” the President emphasized. END