President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leaves this morning for New York to attend the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20, the first to be held completely in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
This marks the President’s first engagement with the UN and his third official overseas trip following his successful state visits to Indonesia and Singapore earlier this month.
Mr. Marcos will depart from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at 8:15 a.m. via Philippine Airlines, the Palace said in an advisory.
The President’s speech to the UN is PBBM…scheduled at 3:15 p.m. Sept. 20 (3:15 a.m. Manila time), the first day of the General Assembly, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Kira Christianne Danganan-Azucena said in a virtual pre-departure briefing.
Mr. Marcos will raise the issues of climate change, the rule of law, and food security in his speech at the UNGA, the Department of ForeignAffairs (DFA) said.
The President will join more than 150 other heads of state and government at the high-level general debate, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a briefing.
This developed as France and the Philippines will have increased exchanges on energy, food security, and defense following a phone call between Presidents Marcos Jr. and Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
“This year marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the two Heads of State discussed strengthening bilateral relations. They agreed to continue deepening trade in the field of low-carbon energy, food security, defense, and human trade,” France’s Elysee Palace said in a statement uploaded on its official website.
The French Embassy in Manila on Saturday said Macron told Mr. Marcos about France’s thrust in the Indo-Pacific region and its commitment to international maritime law.
Meanwhile, Cruz-Angeles also raised the possibility the President might meet with the members of the Filipino community in New York City.
“The primary purpose will still be [his participation] in the [UN] General Assembly. That is the main purpose of the trip. There are no announcements or no calendared activities other than that and those congruent or collateral to this address, well of course, aside from what he usually does—meeting with the Filipino community when opportunity arises,” she said.
In a separate statement, the Presidential News Desk (PND) at Malacanang said both Mr. Marcos and Macron exchanged views on regional and international developments as they look forward to meeting each other in person soon.
“Mr. Marcos commended Macron for his leadership role and diplomatic efforts to promote peace and security in Europe,” it said.
The President “deeply appreciated” Macron for congratulating him on his May 9, 2022 presidential election victory, the PND report added.
The French leader presented the International Blue Carbon Coalition, a global program to mitigate climate change through the conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems.
Macron also urged the Philippines to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which aims to protect 30 percent of marine and terrestrial territories by 2030.
Paris’ Indo-Pacific strategy seeks to preserve the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the region to promote economic development that preserves the ecosystems and the planet.
On food security, Macron cited the actions undertaken within the framework of the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM), an initiative he launched in March 2022 to address the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
Recently, French Ambassador Michele Boccoz said ministerial visits were scheduled in the coming months.
Diplomatic relations between France and the Philippines were first established in 1947, when both countries signed the Treaty of Amity in Paris.
Following the historic state visit of former French president François Hollande to the Philippines in 2015, the two nations’ relations became more centered on a commitment to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific area and upholding international law; pursuing joint action to fight climate change; and promoting cultural exchanges between their people.