Philippines Champions Middle-Income Countries Agenda in Makati Conference With PH-Led Resolution Adopted in Bangkok 

Ambassador Millicent Cruz Paredes delivering remarks at the Welcome Reception of the High-Level Conference on Middle-Income Countries, hosted by the Philippine Government on 28-29 April 2025 in Makati, Philippines. (Bangkok PE photo)

MANILA 14 May 2025 – The Philippines has taken a leading role in addressing the unique development challenges of Middle-Income Countries (MICs) with the Philippine hosting of the High-Level Conference on MICs on 28-29 April 2025 in Makati City, Philippines. 

Philippine Ambassador to Thailand and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Millicent Cruz Paredes joined the Philippine delegation to the conference, led by Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo and Department of Economic, Planning and Development Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan. The delegation underscored the Philippines’ leadership in shaping bold, forward-looking solutions for challenges faced by middle-income countries, while also advancing the country’s vision for inclusive, sustainable, and resilient growth.

The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok, as the permanent mission to UNESCAP, joined the whole-of-government effort to advance the middle-income countries agenda across all fora. At the Makati Conference, Ambassador Paredes highlighted the Philippines’ efforts to expand and deepen the MICs agenda in the Asia-Pacific region through its stewardship of the landmark resolution on MICs which was successfully adopted at the 81st Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) held on 25 April 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ambassador Paredes proudly shared that the Philippine-led resolution on “Advancing the Sustainable Development of Middle-Income Countries in Asia and the Pacific,” gives middle-income countries in the region a voice and fosters cooperation in addressing their unique development challenges. The resolution reflects the Philippines’ active engagement in multilateral diplomacy and its efforts towards shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future. 

Ambassador Paredes also personally reiterated the sincere appreciation of the Philippine Government to UN Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana who participated in the Conference, for ESCAP’s support for the Philippine MICs initiatives and co-organization of the Conference. ESCAP committed its early support in a meeting between Ambassador Paredes and Executive Secretary Alisjahbana in Bangkok in June 2024. 

The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok will work closely with ESCAP members and associate members, as well as various stakeholders, in implementing the middle-income countries resolution which supports all efforts toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. 

For more information on the Conference, please visit https://dfa.virtualeventph.net/. END

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo, Chair of the Conference, with the Philippine delegation during the high-level segment on 29 April 2025. (Bangkok PE photo)

Philippine Government Officials and Heads of Delegation Group Photo. (Bangkok PE photo)

Ambassador Paredes  (left) and Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo (right). (Bangkok PE photo)

Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo (third from left) leads a toast, together with Ambassador Paredes (leftmost), UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana (second from left) and UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Development Program (UNDP) Associate Administrator Mr. Haoliang Xu (rightmost). (Bangkok PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.bangkokpe.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHinThailand/.