President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed Arnaud Peral to the Philippines on Thursday.

Peral is the new United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in the Philippines, having assumed the role on 5 February 2025.

In a courtesy call at Malacañang Palace, Marcos and Peral discussed possible avenues of cooperation between the Philippines and the UN.

Marcos reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to multilateralism and its readiness to work with the UN, particularly during its 80th anniversary. The Philippines is one of the 51 founding members of the organization.

Prior to his Philippine posting, Peral served as the UNRC in Tunisia since 2020. He has also held several leadership positions within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including UNRC and UNDP Resident Representative in Ecuador, UNDP Country Director in Colombia, and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Mexico and Brazil.

Part of the UN’s partnership with the Philippines involves implementing programs such as public-private partnership projects that expand access to affordable water supply and renewable energy, improve food security, promote low-carbon industrial parks, and support women’s employment and poverty reduction.

The UN is also collaborating with Philippine authorities on disaster risk mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as providing support for women entrepreneurs through the use of artificial intelligence.