Zubiri: 10 resolutions adopted at 31st Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum

By: Charie Abarca - 12 months ago

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday said 37 resolutions submitted by member-countries participating in the 31st Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) were already referred to respective committee groups.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri during the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum Executive Committee Meeting on November 23, 2023. Photo from Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — On the third and last day of the 31st Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) held in the country, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said no major untoward incident had come up, adding that everything went according to what they had planned.

“No major untoward incident or issue has come up, even in the discussions in the different committees. Our Philippine senators and congressmen who are chairing the different committees are doing a great job in steering the discussions in their respective committees,” Zubiri told reporters on the sidelines of the APPF on Saturday.

‘Historic adoption of 10 APPF resolutions’

As a testament to the successful conduct of the event, Zubiri said 10 resolutions were adopted in the APPF Drafting Committee. These resolutions were then endorsed to the final plenary to be part of the joint communique set to be issued as the final document of the 31st APPF.

Initially, 37 resolutions were proposed and submitted by member-countries.

The adopted resolutions, according to the Senate chief, are as follows:

Strengthening the Capacity of Parliaments to Promote Peace and Stability
Korean Peninsula
Combating Transnational Crimes
Rethinking Critical Infrastructure
Enhancing Regional Cooperation on Climate Action, Biodiversity Conservation, and Disaster Risk Reduction
Human Capital Development and Inclusive Growth
Regional Cooperation through Education and Culture
Regional Cooperation on Universal Health Care in the Asia-Pacific Gender and Sustainable Development Goals
Women’s Participation and Leadership

Zubiri stressed that the adoption of these resolutions is “historic” as not all draft resolutions end up being adopted.

It, however, did not come easily.

Senate President Pro Tempore, who was sitting as the chairperson of the APPF Drafting Committee, said four of the 10 measures needed “further discussion” due to the vital and delicate nature of its topics.

Among these include the resolution on Strengthening the Capacity of Parliaments to Promote Peace and Stability, which was earlier blocked by China due to its provisions that encouraged unwavering commitment to international laws, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“We are very happy that the delegation from China graciously accepted our proposed amendment. Initially, they did not want to have any mention of UNCLOS and freedom of navigation, but [the delegates from China] later on agreed,” Zubiri said.

While it did not specifically mention the Philippines’ stand on the West Philippine Sea row, Zubiri explained that it was already a “key essential statement” for China to recognize and agree to the inclusion of UNCLOS and freedom of navigation.