PH reaffirms commitment to peace, cooperation, rules based-order

<p><em>(Photo courtesy of UN General Assembly)</em></p> — *(Photo courtesy of UN General Assembly)*

MANILA – The Philippines will continue to work with all nations in the pursuit of peace, stability, sustainable development and rules-based international order.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro made this assurance after the country lost its bid for a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Kyrgyzstan, via a 49-142 vote on Wednesday.

Lazaro said Manila respects the decision of the UN member states and congratulated Kyrgyzstan on its win.

“We thank the international community for the support and goodwill extended to the Philippines throughout our candidacy,” she said.

“Our campaign was anchored on our longstanding commitment to peace, dialogue, international law, and cooperation among nations. These remain principles that the Philippines will continue to uphold and advance in the global community,” she added.

Manila failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, or 128 votes from the 191 UN members present at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City.

Prior to the final count, the UNGA conducted three additional rounds of voting after the first cycle only yielded 85 votes for the Philippines and 105 for Kyrgyzstan.

The second and third balloting garnered 81 and 68 votes, respectively, for Manila, and 110 and 123 for Bishkek, all short of the required number of votes.

Securing the four remaining Council seats available for term 2027 to 2028, meanwhile, were Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe.

These five newly-elected members will replace Pakistan, Denmark, Panama, Somalia, and Greece whose term of office expires on Dec. 31, 2026.

Four of the newly-elected member states had previously served on the Council: Austria and Portugal for three times, Zimbabwe twice and Trinidad and Tobago once. Kyrgyzstan, which won the sole seat allocated for the Asia-Pacific regional group, is serving the Council for the first time.

The UNSC consists of 15 member-states, with China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States serving as permanent members. Under the UN Charter, all member-states are obligated to comply with Council decisions. — Joyce Ann L. Rocamora (PNA)