Philippines vows support for rule of law, international tribunals

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines expressed its support for the work of international courts and tribunals as a call for universal respect for the global rule of law.

In a statement during the annual International Law Week, Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), highlighted the role of the court as the only international court of a universal character with general jurisdiction.

“The court continues to play a vital role in supporting peace and security, human rights, and development, not through armies, but through the rule of law," Yparraguirre said.

The ambassador renewed the Philippines's call for member states of the UN to accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the court, according to a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Yparraguirre cited the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes, which supported the aspirations of non-aligned developing countries.

The declaration articulated the norms of peaceful settlement of disputes as outlined in the Charter of United Nations. The General Assembly negotiated and adopted this declaration during the Cold War.

"The increasing confidence by Member States – especially among developing countries – in the capabilities, credibility, and impartiality of the Court to settle disputes by peaceful means, is not unrelated to the norms, values and aspirations articulated by the Manila Declaration," Yparraguirre said.

She added that the most fundamental means of settling disputes is the non-use or threat of use of force.

The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to fighting impunity so as to assure that perpetrators account for their crimes.

"For if we cannot deliver international criminal justice, then global peace and security would not be possible... The International Criminal Court has become central to the majesty of the rule of law in our time," Yparraguirre said.

The Philippines itself has a case before the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the United Nations against China in connection to the disputed South China Sea.

The tribunal recently issued its award on jurisdiction on the said arbitration case between the Philippines and China. - Patricia Lourdes Viray

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