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For the first time since taking office, President Rodrigo Duterte will address the United Nations, which he has repeatedly criticized in the past for interfering in his administration’s war on drugs.
The Presidential Assistant for Foreign Relations and Chief of Presidential Protocol, Robert Borje, told a news conference Monday that the president will address the 75th UN General Assembly on the first day of the five-day event on September 22.
“This will be the first time that the president addresses the UN General Assembly, the main deliberative board of the UN where all 193 member states are represented,” he added.
Duterte would be the twelfth leader to speak to the international body among more than a hundred state leaders, by seniority and because he is both head of state and government, Borje said.
The president will lay out the Philippines’ position on a wide range of issues, including the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, geopolitical developments in Asia and the Pacific, the rule of law and justice, and human rights.
Borje said Duterte would also address criticism of his war on drugs.
The president decided to attend the event because it is the 75th anniversary of the General Assembly and because he saw the urgency of addressing global problems, Borje stressed.
The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policy-making and representative body of the United Nations.
He is responsible for the UN budget and appoints the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the UN Secretary General.
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