Philippines hopes historic UN pact can lead to 'peaceful resolution of disputes'

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines on Monday, September 23, expressed support for a landmark United Nations reform plan, saying it was a chance to rekindle nations' commitments to resolving international disputes and conflicts peacefully. 

The UN Pact for the Future, adopted by the UN General Assembly without a vote on Sunday (Philippine time), aims to revive global cooperation by committing UN member states to a whopping 58 actions in five areas, including international peace and security. 

The pact also puts forth the "most progressive and concrete commitment to Security Council reform since the 1960s" and renews nations' commitments to preventing a nuclear war from breaking out, according to the UN.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, who is leading the Philippine delegation to the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly, described the much-vaunted agreement as a "touchstone for all international efforts to resolve disputes, prevent conflicts, protect human rights and enhance global governance."

"The pact can guide the UN in delivering meaningful outcomes for peace and security for human rights, for fairness and equality for resilience from crises and disasters and for empowering individuals and all communities in the world," Manalo said in his speech before world leaders.

"It is important that this pact renews our collective determination to diffuse tensions and seek the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflicts," he said. 

Manalo added that preserving a rules-based international order is a "collective duty."

The Philippines' top diplomat also grounded the country's support for the newly adopted agreement in the four-decade-old Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, which was approved by the UN General Assembly in Manila in 1982.

The declaration was the first UN instrument to provide a comprehensive plan for the peaceful settlement of global disputes. Manalo stressed that it compels states to reject the use of force to settle disputes.

"As a founding member of the UN and the first Asian Republic, the Philippines shall always be a voice for peace, equity and justice, human rights and human dignity, the rule of