PH Presidency Chairs 210th Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) Administrative Council Meeting, Leads Successful Approval of 2024 PCA Budget
(L-R) Deputy Secretary General Martin Doe, Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya and First Secretary and Consul Jarie Osias
THE HAGUE 27 December 2023 – The Philippine Presidency of the Administrative Council of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) chaired the Council’s 210th meeting on 18 December 2023 at the Peace Palace, The Hague. The meeting adopted by consensus the Resolution on Budget and Finance for 2024, which will enable the organization to conduct meaningful activities to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the PCA next year.
In his welcome remarks, Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, President of the Council, congratulated the Council Members on the milestones achieved by the PCA in 2023, notably the first-ever United Nations General Assembly Resolution recognizing the “important contribution of the PCA to the peaceful settlement of disputes,” which was adopted by consensus by members of the U.N., and co-sponsored by 122 States.
PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak meanwhile reported the activities of the organization in 2023. He also stated that the “initiatives [of PH presidency] resulted in the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution recognizing the role of the PCA in international dispute resolution and marking its 125th anniversary.”
“Let me express my thankfulness to our Acting President for his tireless efforts and creativity in promoting peaceful dispute resolution through the PCA,” Secretary General Czepelak added.
French Ambassador Francois Alabrune, Chair of the Special Working Group on the 125th anniversary of the PCA, shared the plans for next year’s activities. Ecuador Ambassador Andres Teran Parral, Chair of the PCA Budget Committee, presented the 2024 budget.
Among the highlights of Budget and Finance Resolution is the decision to convene the Congress of the Members of the Court of the PCA in mid-June 2024. The Congress will only be the third time in history when the Members of the Court of the PCA from the different Member States will gather and chart the future of the organization. The first was during the first Peace Conference in 1899 and the second during the centennial of the PCA in 1999. Each Member State can nominate up to four Members of the Court.
The incoming members of the Court of the PCA for the Philippines are former ICC Judge Raul C. Pangalangan, former DENR Undersecretary Antonio Lavina, former Ateneo Law Dean Sedfrey Candelaria and Ambassador Malaya.
Composed of the experts in international law and dispute resolution, the PCA’s Members of the Court will be invited to discuss topics relating to the organization’s Founding Conventions, including its current practice and future developments.
The PCA is the first permanent inter-governmental organization providing a forum for the resolution of international disputes through arbitration and other peaceful means. The Administrative Council provides general guidance on the work and general direction of the PCA, and supervises its administration, budget and expenditure. It shapes the policy of the organization in consultation with its Secretary-General. END
For more information, visit https://www.thehaguepe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinTheNetherlands/.