President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. received recognition from the United Nations for his commitment to and advocacy of youth empowerment, peace-building, and security initiatives, the Office of the Press Secretary said in a statement.

During the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-UN Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres cited Marcos for taking the lead in youth involvement for the ASEAN.

In response, Marcos expressed the Philippines' commitment to the youth, peace, and security agenda with the launch of the Philippines' National Action Plan on youth, peace, and security in August this year, which is the fourth of its kind in the world.

The President assured the global body that the Philippines will continue to strengthen its engagement with the UN.

"As I mentioned during our meeting in New York, we intend to enhance our role in peacekeeping operations, especially where there is a huge concentration of overseas Filipinos," Marcos said.

Recalling his speech at the UN General Assembly two months ago, the President said climate change is the greatest threat affecting nations and the people, adding it is a global problem that needs strong leadership from the UN.

"Let me reassure you, Secretary General, that the Philippines is committed to supporting and collaborating with the UN in the global effort to fight climate change and other environmental issues."

The Philippines' commitment to an open, inclusive, and rules-based international order is unwavering, Marcos stressed as he urged all members of the UN to respect the rule of law and international laws, in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The President announced that the country achieved 120 out of 140 action lines of the 2021-2025 ASEAN-UN Plan of Action.

He also expressed his appreciation for the cooperation and assistance that ASEAN had with the UN through the COVAX facility in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Our close cooperation has helped see all of us through the worst of the pandemic. I am looking forward to further cooperation in our pandemic recovery efforts to 'build back better,'" he noted.

Moreover, Marcos expressed the government's readiness to work with its ASEAN partners in ensuring food security, one of his top domestic agendas.

New Work Plan gets BBM okay

The President said the Philippines remains prepared to collaborate with ASEAN Plus Three partners on the New Work Plan 2023-2027, which will serve as a guide for the economic community in the next five years.

The plan will tackle various areas such as public health, food security, financial cooperation, and the digital economy, particularly as the region moves towards post-pandemic recovery.

"Attaining food self-sufficiency and security by seeking innovative solutions through the adoption of new technologies and enhanced connectivity to national, regional, and global value supply chains — this must be one of our utmost priorities in the region," Marcos said in his intervention.

Marcos also received an invitation from World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab to attend the WEF in Davos, Switzerland from 16 to 20 January next year.

According to Malacañang, Schwab made the invitation in a breakfast meeting with Marcos, saying that his attendance at the WEF would be a good opportunity to allow the global business community to learn about the dynamism and positive developments happening in the Philippines.

Schwab also commended the Philippine leader for the strong showing of the economy, Malacañang added.

The economy expanded to 7.6 percent in the third quarter of 2022.

The Chief Executive also reaffirmed the government's commitment to fortifying its close ties with China and Japan.

A statement by the Office of the Press Secretary said the Philippine leader had separate brief conversations with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida — where Marcos pledged to bolster cooperation with the two neighbors.

According to the OPS, Li told Marcos that he believes there should be steady development of China-Philippines relations, stressing that what the two countries have in common "far outweighs" their differences.

"I absolutely agree. And I thank you for remembering my father and his initiative to come to China and it was he after all who made the Philippines and China family," Marcos said in response.

The Chinese official, representing Chinese President Xi Jinping at the annual summit, indicated his government's commitment to safeguarding "peace and stability" in the South China Sea.

"The Chinese premier also looks forward to working with the Philippines and other countries in ASEAN for peace and stability in the South China Sea on the basis of mutual respect and respect for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," the OPS said.

Li added that he looks forward to working with the Philippines in upholding the unity and cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Time to reminisce

The two leaders also recalled the time the incumbent's father, the late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. visited China in a "previous condition."

"It was something very important to us… he has been proven right because the partnership with China has been a great benefit to both our countries," Marcos said, referring to his father's 1975 visit to China.

"So I look forward to discussing all of these when I come to visit in January," he added.

Marcos is set to fly to Beijing on 3 January next year for a state visit following the invitation of the Chinese President.

At the 25th ASEAN-China Summit a day prior to their meeting, Marcos expressed his push for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the West Philippine Sea based on international law.

For Marcos, this should be an example of how states manage their differences, noting that the immediate conclusion of the CoC becomes more relevant as nations mark 40 and 20 years of the UNCLOS and the DoC, respectively.

"It shall be an example of how states manage their differences: through reason and through right. I, therefore, welcome the progress on textual negotiations on the CoC this past year and hopefully an approved code of conduct in the very near future," Marcos said in his speech.

The President emphasized that it is vital that the UNCLOS continues to be upheld as the universal framework for ocean and sea activities.

On the other hand, the Philippines and Japan reaffirmed their strong partnership in various fields such as disaster management, Covid-19 response, and infrastructure development.

Kishida said he was very pleased to have a very rich and thorough conversation back in September with Marcos on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA.

"Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the friendship and cooperation between Japan and ASEAN. And I look forward to advancing the cooperation between ASEAN and Japan," Kishida told Marcos.

In response, Marcos said: "All of the concepts that we first started to discuss when we were in New York, we are continuing to develop in our government so that when the time comes this concept that you have introduced to us on economic stability, is something… that ASEAN, the Philippines — we will continue to develop more of these ideas, and these concepts."