MANILA – For the first time since assuming presidency in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte is set to address the United Nations (UN) this week, Chief of Presidential Protocol Robert Borje said.
President Duterte will deliver the Philippines’ statement for the General Debate of the UN General Assembly which started its 75th session last week, Borje said during Palace’s virtual press conference on Monday.
This will be Duterte’s first appearance as he was represented by his foreign secretaries from 2016 to 2019. The event will go virtual due to movement restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
The country’s chief executive will also address the United States-China tensions in the South China Sea, a portion of which is being claimed by the Philippines.
“The President will articulate principled Philippine positions on peace and security, which includes terrorism and geopolitical developments in Asia and the Pacific,” Borje said.
Duterte previously threatened to “separate” from the 193-member UN amid criticism from human rights experts over the death toll attributed to his administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
The Philippines is a founding member of the UN which was established in 1945./PN
