Ambassador Lagdameo Reaffirms Strong PH Commitment to Disarmament at Meeting with UN High Representative Nakamitsu
Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York and UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu meeting tête-à-tête for the first time. (Photo Credit: New York PM)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 14 March 2023 – Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Philippines to global disarmament during his meeting with Under-Secretary-General Izumi Nakamitsu, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs on 10 March 2023.
Permanent Representative Lagdameo told USG Nakamitsu of the emphasis placed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. in his statement in the UNGA last year on the importance of maintaining international peace and security, particularly with regard to disarmament.
In the said statement, President Marcos stated that “Nuclear weapons continue to pose an existential threat despite our efforts to build norms that resoundingly prohibit them” and that “we must also address the scourge of the proliferation of all weapons, be they small arms, light weapons, or improvised explosive devices.” President Marcos added that “we need to start by defining the norms of responsible behavior in cyberspace and outer space and forming legal rules that will prevent the weaponization of artificial intelligence.”
USG Nakamitsu recognized the Philippines’ active participation in different disarmament processes, not just in New York, but also in Geneva, particularly those that concern biological weapons, conventional weapons, and outer space.
During the meeting, Ambassador Lagdameo and USG Nakamitsu had a good discussion on matters related to outer space.
The Philippines has pursued engagements in the United Nations on space security. The Philippines has been actively participating in the open-ended working group on reducing space threats through norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviours, which is scheduled to be completed this August 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Philippines is also engaged in discussions on further practical measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer space (PAROS).
From an economic viewpoint, the Philippines has placed high importance on the sustainable development of outer space and is pursuing a space program that envisions the Philippines as a spacefaring nation within the decade. Diwata-1 and Diwata -2, two Philippine microsatellites, were launched into space to monitor the country’s agricultural landscape, environment and help the country on rapid post-disaster assessment and disaster relief operations. The Philippines established the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) in August 2019 to manage and operate the decentralized space program of the Philippine government. END
For more information, visit https://www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.un.int/philippines or https://www.facebook.com/PHMissionNY/.