PH Reaffirms Commitment to Disarmament, Humanitarian Principles 

GENEVA 10 December 2018 – The Philippines reaffirmed its commitment to global disarmament and humanitarian principles as it participated in the Meeting of High Contracting Parties of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland from 21 to 23 November 2018.

In the statement delivered by Third Secretary Enrik Fort Revillas at the general debate, the Philippines reiterated its support for the universalization and implementation of the CCW, highlighting efforts to fully participate in all relevant multilateral disarmament instruments, as well as initiatives to operationalize its humanitarian obligations in the pursuit of national security and law enforcement objectives.

The country recognized the evolving nature of modern armed conflict, particularly the rapid improvements in science and technology, and the increasing asymmetry and urbanization of warfare. It encouraged the CCW to continue its substantive work on emerging issues and challenges in order for normative systems to keep up with these developments. It also expressed support for continued discussions on weapons use of armed non-State actors, an issue that has affected the Philippines such as in the Marawi incident.

The CCW seeks to prohibit the use of certain types of weapons that are considered to cause unnecessary or unjustifiable suffering to combatants or to affect civilians indiscriminately. END

For more information, visit www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGenevaUN/.