Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro will participate in high-level discussions on critical issues, including artificial intelligence, climate financing, migration, biodiversity, and maritime security at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States next week.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that Lazaro will lead the Philippine delegation to the UNGA on behalf of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. from September 21 to 27, 2025.
“She (Lazaro) will highlight the Philippines’ role in addressing complex challenges as well as the country’s call for a stronger UN – one that promotes peace, security, climate action, migrant protection, and sustainable development,” the DFA said.
Lazaro’s attendance to the annual summit reaffirms the Philippines’ strong commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based order during the event.
She is expected to meet with foreign ministers to strengthen bilateral and multilateral ties, promote Philippine interests, and advance national priorities.
“The Philippine delegation will also ramp up efforts to pursue the country’s bid for a non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council for the term 2027-2028,” the DFA added.
Earlier, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez confirmed that President Marcos and his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, decided to skip UNGA to focus on domestic issues.
“The President has delegated his engagements at the UNGA to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to allow him to focus on local issues,” Gomez said.
The Philippine government has recently voted in favor of a UNGA resolution backing the implementation of the two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel question.
The resolution, adopted on Sept. 12, garnered 142 votes in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions.
Israel voted against it, alongside nine others—Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, and the United States.
The resolution endorses the New York Declaration, issued during an international conference in July, which calls for the immediate end of war in Gaza and the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the “effective implementation” of the two-state solution. —With Philippine News Agency
