The Republic of the Philippines and the United Nations have been affiliated since the conception of the organization. The then Commonwealth of the Philippines was one of the signatories of the 1942 UN Declaration, from which the U.N. Charter of 1945 was based on.Garcia, Pia. “The importance of U.N.-PH Relations” CNN Philippines. August 25, 2016. Accessed July 5, 2017. http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/08/23/united-nations-philippines-relations.html The Philippines was also among the 51 original member states, one of only four Asian nations, and the only nation in Southeast Asia, that signed this charter, which marked the beginning of the UN operations.
Since then, the Philippines has been active participants of the UN through various programs and commitments. Some of which include the Millennium Development Goals, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, among others.“Programmes”. UN Habitat For a Better Urban Future. Accessed June 26, 2017 http://unhabitat.org.ph/programmes/past-projects/ The Philippines consistently send peacekeepers to the U.N. The United Nations are also staffed by a large percentage of Filipinos. At the same time, the U.N. provides the Philippines with assistance in the event of calamities, and help the country raise funds for various causes.Dumaual, Miguel. "What happens if the Philippines leaves the United Nations." ABS-CBN News. August 23, 2016. Accessed July 5, 2017. https://www.abs-cbn.com/focus/08/23/16/what-happens-if-the-philippines-leaves-the-united-nations.
In 2016, the United Nations have been alarmed by the state of human rights in the country. During the 59th session of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights last September 2016, held in Geneva, Switzerland, the Philippines was due for its periodic review. In this review, some issues that the U.N. committee brought up included the war on drugs of the administration, overcrowding in Philippine prisons, and forced eviction of informal settlers.Gotinga, JC, and Paolo Taruc. "U.N. committee probes state of human rights in PH." Cnn. September 30, 2016. Accessed June 25, 2017. http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/09/29/un-committee-probes-state-of-human-rights-in-philippines.html . In March 2017, the U.N. also urged the Philippines not to reinstate the death penalty as it is in violation of the country's commitment under international law.So, Levi A. "UN experts, EU Parliament urge Philippines to rethink death penalty." Philstar.com. March 17, 2017. Accessed June 25, 2017. http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/03/17/1682042/un-experts-eu-parliament-urge-philippines-rethink-death-penalty.
History The Philippines signed the Declaration by United Nations on June 10, 1942.Lim, Gerard. "FAST FACTS: The Philippines' role in the United Nations." Rappler. September 19, 2016. Accessed July 6, 2017. https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/110442-fast-facts-philippines-role-united-nations/. The declaration agreed to the policies of the Atlantic Charter, a joint declaration between the United States and Great Britain that set out a vision for a post-war world.History.com Staff, "Atlantic Charter," History.com, 2009, accessed July 06, 2017, http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/atlantic-charter. The text of the declaration affirmed the signatories' perspective "that complete victory over their enemies is essential to defend life, liberty, independence and religious freedom, and to preserve human rights and justice in their own lands as well as in other lands, and that they are now engaged in a common struggle against savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world".Charles I. Bevans, Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America: 1776 - 1949. Volume 3. Multilateral, 1931-1945.(Washington, DC: US Government Print. Office, 1969), 697.
The document was the basis of the establishment of the United Nations in 1945.Townsend Hoopes and Douglas Brinkley, FDR and the Creation of the U.N (Yale University Press, 1997).
The UN system in the Philippines began in 1945 when the Philippines, along with 49 other nations, signed the UN Charter in San Francisco, USA. The relationship between the Philippine government and UN is underscored by the contributions made by Carlos P. Romulo who acted as Philippine delegate to the United Nations Organization Conference and then became the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations from 1946 to 1954."UNDP and the UN." UNDP in Philippines. Accessed July 6, 2017. http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en/home/operations/undp_un.html. Romulo eventually became the first Asian president during the 4th UN General Assembly.
Financial and other forms of assistance to the Philippines began in the late 1940s as the country recovered from the damages of World War II. This partnership has grown since then into a number of development initiatives, activities and programmes.
In August 2013, Filipino peacekeepers were held under siege by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights. They successfully escaped their outpost after being trapped for five days while being were surrounded by Syrian rebels.Mangosing, Frances. "PH Peacekeepers in Golan Heights cited by DFA." Inquirer Global Nation PH peacekeepers in Golan Heights cited by DFA Comments. Accessed July 10, 2017. http://globalnation.inquirer.net/123550/ph-peacekeepers-in-golan-heights-cited-by-dfa#ixzz4mQvgeLI. Filipino troops were eventually pulled out from Syria.
Being part of UN, Philippines files an arbitration case against China at the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) to settle the maritime dispute over South China Sea in 2013. The country asked the arbitral tribunal to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which grants exclusive rights to explore and develop maritime features 200 nautical miles from its baselines. On 12 July 2016, the tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines. The tribunal also ruled that China has "no historical rights" based on the "nine-dash line" map. However, China has rejected the ruling.Perlez, Jane. "Tribunal Rejects Beijing's Claims in South China Sea." The New York Times. July 12, 2016. Accessed July 10, 2017.
In July 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte hit the UN for allegedly interfering in the affairs of the Philippines. Duterte issued this statement after the executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, joined UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in criticizing his administration's war against illegal drugs.Paterno II, Esmaquel. "Duterte Hits UN for 'stupid proposition' vs Drugs." Rappler. Accessed July 10, 2017. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/143357-philippines-rodrigo-duterte-united-nations-stupid-proposition-war-drugs/.
In the 59th session of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights last year, Philippines was assessed in terms of its compliance with the "International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights." The committee probed the Philippine delegation on issues, such as the issue of extrajudicial killings, labor, and human trafficking.Gotinga, JC, and Paolo Taruc. "U.N. committee probes state of human rights in PH." Cnn. September 30, 2016. Accessed July 10, 2017.
United Nations-Philippines relations
United Nations entities present in the Philippines
The presence of the United Nations in the Philippines is found in the different globally-established subsidiaries, specialized agencies, and programmes the organization has enforced in the country. Each entity focuses on a particular social issue or addresses a specific need the UN aims to respond to. Currently, there are twenty-one bodies in the UN system present in the country."UNDP and the UN." UNDP in Philippines. Accessed June 24, 2017. http://www.ph.undp.org/content/philippines/en/home/operations/undp_un.html.