The Philippines successfully concluded its participation in the 79th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), which was held from May 15 to 19, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand and online.
The Philippine delegation, made up of 37 members from various government agencies, reiterated the country’s commitment to engage in effective collaboration and called for stronger partnerships to accelerate efforts towards a climate-resilient Asia-Pacific region.
Guided by the statement by the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr., on the theme of the session “Accelerating climate action in Asia and the Pacific for sustainable development”, delivered at the opening of the session on May 15, 2023, the delegation made a special call for regional cooperation to improve disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience building, including through the use of spatial data; and develop statistics to measure the impacts and progress of climate change, among other efforts.
The Philippine Mission in Geneva hosts a consultation meeting on improving the work of the UN Human Rights Office
The Philippine Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) also played a leading role during discussions on expanding access and improving the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the region. DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy and Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Ian Cardano Dy briefed the Commission on the results of the regional meetings they respectively chaired.
Finally, the Philippine delegation concluded its participation by co-sponsoring the ESCAP resolutions on regional action on space applications for sustainable development and on the establishment of a United Nations special program for the Aral Sea basin in Central Asia. .
the delegation made a special appeal for regional cooperation to improve disaster risk reduction and resilience building
The annual session of UNESCAP is a forum where member States from Asia and the Pacific discuss and discuss economic and social issues and strengthen regional cooperation. The next regional Session is scheduled to take place from 22 to 26 April 2024 in Bangkok.
