MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday faced his fellow leaders at the Special Plenary Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as the Philippines ramped up its campaign for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC).
Underscoring the Filipino people’s aspirations for peace and solidarity, Marcos said the country’s candidature is about giving the Philippines, and other developing countries, a voice in the highest forum of global peace and security.
“We of the Philippines offer a voice from this region, the voice of developing countries, the voice of climate, vulnerable nations and the voice of middle-income countries facing competing challenges and priorities. All this was persevering to achieve the well-being and security of our peoples,” he said.
“As a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, a bridge between global north and global south, the Philippines understands dialogue, partnership and coalition building,” he added.
Citing pages in history where the Philippines took in Jewish refugees who fled the holocaust, aided in the Korean War, and joined the peacekeeping mission in Congo, among others, the president noted how the country has never hesitated to work “not only for peace but also for the progress of local communities.”
“When the UN demands the Philippines responds. At a time when the UN diplomats thought little of social issues and considered them unworthy of UN time, the Philippines insisted that social issues were the equal of economic ones. We spoke for vulnerable people of the world, bringing their views to the halls of the United Nations and inviting attention to their needs and their concerns,” he said.
“The Philippines stands ready once again to contribute to help calm voices of division, provide a voice of balance, to shun ambition for service and always as a voice for principled peace,” he added.
Marcos likewise called for a rules-based resolution to conflicts in different parts of the world and urged warring nations “to take resolute steps to address the root causes of these conflicts.”
“Our own experience has shown that peace is possible despite several decades of conflict. Guided by the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes, our relentless pursuit for peace achieved an alloid success with the signing of the comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014 after many years of negotiations,” he said.
“Excellencies, our contributions across the whole spectrum of UN work since its inception are born up by history. Always ready to be part of the solution, the Philippines has regularly proven itself to be an independent, trusted partner, an innovative pathfinder and a committed peacemaker,” he added.
“And thus, I stand before you to humbly petition for your support for the Philippines in the elections on the 3rd of June, 2026. Thank you and Mabuhay,” he concluded.
The UNSC is a primary UN body charged with maintaining international peace and security, authorized to impose sanctions, authorize force, and dispatch peacekeepers. It consists of 15 members: 5 permanent (China, France, Russia, UK, US) with veto power, and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
The Philippines actually served as a non-permanent member in the UNSC previously: 1957, 1963, 1980-1981, and 2004-2005.
It was in 2022 when Marcos, in his first visit to the United States as president and during the 77th UNGA, renewed the country’s bid for a non-permanent seat.