By Gloria Jane Baylon
MANILA, March 10 — The Philippines has been elected to chair the 2010 sessions of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization, in the person of Carlos D. Sorreta, deputy head of the Philippine mission to the U.N. in New York.
In announcing the Philippines’ elections, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) noted that the Special Committee was formed in 1975 based on a proposal by the late eminent Philippine Foreign Minister and first president of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), Dr. Carlos P. Romulo, also known by his initials “CPR.”
Romulo pursued the establishment of the Special Committee that would examine proposals to bolster the world body's role in maintaining peace and security, to advance cooperation among nations, and to promote international law.
Sorreta’s principal, Ambassador Hilario G. Davide Jr., said “the Committee on the Charter of the United Nations is a lasting legacy that the Philippines and General Romulo has given to the United Nations.”
This week, the Committee plans to complete its work on the following agenda:
–Strengthening the role of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security;
– International peace and security and the proper application of sanctions;
– The peaceful settlement of disputes;
– The impact of sanctions and assistance to third States affected by them; and,
– Request for an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice on the question of the use of force without prior approval by the Security Council.
To the credit of the Philippine government, the UNGA passed a resolution on November 15, 1982 (GA Resolution 37/10), adopting the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes.
In his long and historic service in the United Nations, Romulo, also known as “Mr. United Nations” when he was still alive, “always gave particular emphasis to the rule of law and the maintenance of peace and security, which are at the heart of the work of the Special Committee,” the DFA said.
Romulo gave the Special Committee so much importance, DFA said, that when the Special Committee ended its work in 1983, he delivered his final farewell at the UNGA. The current DFA head, Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, is a nephew. (PNA) scs/GJB