Philippine Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Antonio M. Lagdameo said that the Philippines will always be a partner of Africa for a people-centered development to achieve a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Africa.

Ambassador Lagdameo spoke at the UN Security Council open debate on “peace and security in Africa: the impact of development policies in the implementation of the silencing the guns initiative” on 30 March 2023 at the UN headquarters in New York. 

Acknowledging first that economic forecasts for Africa are good, Ambassador Lagdameo cited that African economies, as noted by the African Development Bank, remain resilient with a stable outlook in 2023-2024 despite the tightening global financial conditions. 

He noted the UN’s strong support for the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative through Security Council resolution 2457 (2019), which welcomed the African Union’s “determination to rid Africa of conflicts and create conditions favorable for the growth, development and integration of the continent.” 

Ambassador Lagdameo also lauded the African Union’s visionary Agenda 2063 and “silencing the guns” initiative as building blocks to transform Africa into an “integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”

The Ambassador recalled that in the 60 years of peacekeeping tradition of the Philippines, Filipino UN peacekeepers have served in Sudan, Burundi, South Sudan, Abyei, Darfur, Liberia, and Cote D’Ivoire, contributing to the cause of peace and development in Africa. 

“Today, a modest number of Filipino peacekeepers are serving with UN missions in the Central African Republic and Sudan. We are committed to increasing the Philippine footprint in UN peacekeeping operations with increased participation of women,” the Ambassador emphasized.

The open debate was one of the signature events of Mozambique during its one-month presidency of the UN Security Council in March 2023.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.