‘PEACE THROUGH LAW’ | Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya (right) receives the gavel from South African Ambassador Vusi Madonsela, the outgoing president of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s Administrative Council.
MANILA, Philippines — The Administrative Council of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) elected Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya as acting president of the council for the term 2023 to 2024, during its 208th Session held at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
The election of Malaya, the Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, was affirmed by acclamation during the Dec. 12 session, upon the nomination of the council’s Asia Group. The council is the governing body of the PCA and composed of the representatives of the court’s 122 member states.
In remarks made upon his assumption, Malaya affirmed the Philippines’ commitment to contributing to the important undertakings of the PCA and pledged to work closely with the member states and PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak, noting that “the PCA represents our great ideals of achieving justice and peace through law.”
The next two years are auspicious for the PCA as it will commemorate its 125-year milestone in 2024, Malaya added.
Vast experience
“It will be a time for a review and assessment on the status and prospects of our organization. In a world that is deeply troubled by wars near and far and beset with climate change and other global challenges, it is also a time for reflection for us in the Administrative Council on how we in our time can ensure that the PCA remains dynamic, relevant and faithful to its original vision as a permanent institution of arbitration accessible to all and at all times, working for the maintenance of global peace,” he said.
Incoming University of the Philippines President Angelo Jimenez welcomed Malaya’s assumption as council president, saying: “It is an honor and distinct privilege for the Philippines to have a Filipino, in the person of Ambassador Malaya, assume as the head of the PCA governing council. I have known and worked with Ambassador Malaya through the years. As an experienced diplomat, lawyer and accomplished writer, he has much to contribute to the PCA and international law.”
Malaya is the first Filipino and second non-Dutch national to serve at the helm of the Administrative Council of the PCA.
He led the Philippine accession in 2010 to the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, which paved the way for the country’s membership in the PCA.
Prior to being the country’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Malaya was an undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (2019 to 2021) and twice served as assistant secretary for treaties and legal affairs (2007 to 2011, 2017 to 2019). He also served as ambassador to Malaysia (2011 to 2017) and foreign affairs spokesperson (2009 to 2011).
Prolific author
Malaya is the author or editor of nine books on international law, diplomacy and history, notably “Philippine Treaties in Force 2020” and “Forging Partnerships: Philippine Defense Cooperation in Constitutional and International Laws.” He is vice president of Philippine Society of International Law, a member of the editorial board of the Philippine Yearbook of International Law, and in 2021 was elected to the Executive Council of Asian Society of International Law.
The PCA is one of the world’s foremost dispute settlement tribunals, alongside the International Court of Justice. The awards and decisions of its tribunals and commissions have significantly shaped the development of international law and contributed to world peace.
The Administrative Council provides general guidance on the work and general direction of the PCA, and supervises its administration, budget and expenditure. It shapes the policy of the organization in consultation with its secretary general.