PH welcomes UNGA resolution on Hague-based PCA

The Philippines co-sponsored the resolution along with 122 other states. (File photo: Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) welcomed the adoption of a United Nations General Assembly resolution reaffirming the contribution of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in dispute settlement.

The resolution invites member states and organizations of the UN to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the PCA, the same court that issued the landmark arbitral ruling on the South China Sea in 2016.

The Philippines co-sponsored the resolution along with 122 other states.

“In the spirit of the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, this is yet another contribution of the Philippines to upholding the rule of law in preserving and maintaining international order and this reflects our deep and unwavering commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a statement dated Aug. 2.

“The Philippines thanks the 122 co-sponsors, especially Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, and Thailand who were members of our core group in supporting this resolution and ensuring its adoption by consensus.”

The UNGA resolution encourages member states to avail of the services of the PCA, which complement the mission of the UN to promote international peace and the development of international law.

“The consensus adoption of the resolution shows that countries do see the merit of upholding the rule of international law and credible dispute settlement mechanisms like the PCA – to deal with their differences through diplomacy, peacefully, and not by force or intimidation,” Manalo said.

PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak welcomed the resolution’s “very important message calling for universal accession to the PCA founding conventions.”

The PCA, established by treaty in 1899, with 122 contracting parties, is an inter-governmental organization, based in The Hague, The Netherlands, which provides a variety of dispute resolution services to the international community.

The PCA administers four of the five dispute settlement methods recommended in Article 33 of the UN Charter – enquiry, mediation, conciliation and arbitration, complementing the work on judicial settlement by the International Court of Justice.

Philippine Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya is the president of the PCA’s Administrative Council.