11 November 2014 –Hosted by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and the outgoing United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Luiza Carvalho at the Department of Foreign Affairs, the evening reception on October 30 celebrating the 69th Founding Anniversary of the United Nations (UN) centered around a theme of giving thanks. The event was attended by over 100 guests from the diplomatic corps, UN agencies, partner civil society organizations and the academe.
The evening was both a salute to the past and a toast to the future. In her remarks, Ms. Luiza Carvalho acknowledged that the nearly seven-decade partnership between the Philippines and the United Nations was one that bore “witness to many milestones in our collective work for the upliftment of the poor and vulnerable, the upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the quest for a life of dignity for everyone.” And although the future of our global village is rife with challenges, the Secretary ended the formal program with comforting words that “in these times of uncertainty, however, hope springs for many things that remain constant and continual. There is the assurance of steadfast cooperation and partnership between our countries and the UN. There is our staunch determination to confront these challenges together.”
As November 08 marked the first anniversary of Super Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, the United Nations Humanitarian Country team, led by Ms. Carvalho, took the opportunity to recognize donor partners. Plaques of appreciation were given to the Ambassadors, recognizing the states who had contributed to UN-led Yolanda humanitarian response efforts. In turn, and as the highlight of the event, 50 Filipino peacekeepers that served in the United Nations Mission Disengagement Observer Force in Golan Heights and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan surprised Ms. Carvalho and the rest of the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team by offering a salute. Nineteen (19) representatives of UN agencies and Civil Society were afforded this honor.
Adding culture, color and class to the reception were the internationally-acclaimed performance of the Bayanihan Dance Troupe and the musical stylings of Asia’s Queen of Song, Ms. Pilita Corrales. Appropriately, she regaled the evening with the song “A Million Thanks to You”. END
