PH Promotes Sustainable Development and Resilient Recovery at the 78th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Philippine National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua delivers the message of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. (Bangkok PE photo)
BANGKOK 31 May 2022 – The Philippine delegation, led by Philippine National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua, successfully participated in the 78th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) held online and in person at the UN Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand on 23-27 May 2022. The annual session of the 53 ESCAP member States was guided by the theme “A common agenda to advance sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.”
Secretary Chua delivered a special message of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for the Session and on the occasion of the milestone 75th anniversary of ESCAP. While members of the Philippine delegation from various government agencies and the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok complemented the President’s message with their respective statements on the Philippines’ efforts to promote the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Delegation members were one in their commitment to work with all members and partners of the Asia Pacific on common yet targeted solutions to withstand and overcome the critical risks of our times including climate change. The Philippines joined ESCAP Member States in adopting the Bangkok declaration commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific: A common agenda to advance sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
In his message, the President shared the Philippine Government’s sincere efforts towards achieving the Filipino people’s longstanding aspiration to end extreme poverty. He recalled that in 2018, the Philippines achieved a record low poverty rate of 16.7 percent and lifted 6 million Filipinos out of poverty. And despite the adverse effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Government’s resolve to deliver remains strong. As Secretary Chua conveyed on the President’s behalf, the Philippine economy grew by 5.7 percent in 2021, above the Government’s targets. “Our progress in accelerating the vaccination program and safely reopening the economy allowed the country to further grow by 8.3 percent in the first quarter of 2022 and surpassed the pre-pandemic Gross Domestic Product level.”
The Philippine agenda was further strengthened by the successful election of the Philippines to the Governing Councils of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the Asian and Pacific Training Center for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT). The elections of the regional institutions of ESCAP were held on 24 May 2022 on the sidelines of the Commission Session.
The Philippines is one of the ten (10) founding Members of ESCAP, with the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok serving as its Permanent Mission. ESCAP was founded in 1947 as a forum for regional collaboration on economic development and post-war reconstruction. Today, ESCAP has 53 Member States and nine (9) associate members. Together, they work on regional solutions to contemporary socio-economic issues such as the environment and development, social development, and poverty reduction.
For videos, documents, and other information on the 78th Commission Session including the election results of the Governing Councils of the ESCAP Regional Institutions, visit https://www.unescap.org/events/commission78. END
Ms. Rosemarie G. Edillon, NEDA Undersecretary for Policy and Planning, delivers the Philippines’ Country Statement during the General Debate. (Bangkok PE photo)
Officials of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) delivering interventions on the Review of the Implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. (Bangkok PE photo)
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines to Thailand and Permanent Representative to ESCAP Millicent Cruz Paredes during the Opening Session (left) and reporting as Chair of the Informal Consultations on the Review of the ESCAP Conference Structure (right). (Bangkok PE photo)
For more information, visit https://www.bangkokpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinThailand/.