Philippines Underscores Vaccine Equity, Food Security, Climate Action, Education at UN Second Committee Debate
“The most pressing concern that we face remains the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, how it has upended our lives, reversed years of sustainable development gains and deepened inequalities, particularly impacting on the most vulnerable…” Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations stressed in his statement at the Second Committee General Debate held on 06 October 2021. (Photo from NYPM)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 12 October 2021 – Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, underscored the development priorities of the Philippines at the UN Second Committee General Debate with the theme, “Crisis, Resilience and Recovery – Accelerating towards the 2030 Agenda,” on 06 October 2021.
Ambassador Manalo stressed the importance for the Second Committee to deliver on the overall development agenda to ensure that no country and no one is left behind.
VACCINE EQUITY
Ambassador Manalo reiterated that the “vaccine inequity is an injustice that must be redressed,” and reaffirmed the commitment of the Philippines to global initiatives such as the ACT Accelerator and the COVAX Facility to ensure the availability and access to safe and effective vaccines. Ambassador Manalo further expressed support for efforts to diversify global manufacturing capacity, and to enable the transfer of lifesaving technologies, including vaccines, therapeutics and medical devices to local companies that are capable and willing to produce them to support national and regional responses against the current and future pandemics.
The need to strengthen targeted support for middle-income countries, such as the Philippines, both by the UN Development System and the international community, in general, to support these countries in achieving the SDGs as well as to recover from the pandemic was also highlighted.
FOOD SECURITY
Elsewhere in his statement, Ambassador Manalo recalled, and expressed the strong support of the Philippines for the bold new actions and solutions that resulted from the UN Food Systems Summit that aims to reverse the increasing number of people who are already or at risk of being food insecure.
CLIMATE ACTION
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Philippines for urgent and ambitious global climate action, noting that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte issued a moratorium on the construction of new coal power plants and a directive to explore the nuclear energy option. He informed the Committee of the submission by the Philippines of its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), with a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030.
EDUCATION
Ambassador Manalo also called for closer cooperation and collaboration to ensure continuity of quality education and life-long learning for children and youth, particularly in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The development of online learning platforms and resources to help teachers and students adapt to blended learning is crucial.
The Second Committee General Debate was chaired by Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta and chair of the 76th session of the Second Committee General Assembly. Ambassador Frazier stated that the Committee will focus on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as related policy responses; and “also review major impacts of the pandemic on the world’s economy to shed new light on the approach to macroeconomic policies, financial policies, trade policies and debt management, as well as critical cross-cutting issues of poverty eradication and food security.” END
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“It is imperative that the Second Committee delivers on the overall development agenda to ensure that no country and no one is left behind,” Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations said in his statement at the Second Committee General Debate. (Photo from NYPM)