Secretary Locsin: Bid for IOM Position Demonstrates PH Gov't's Commitment to Multilateralism and Migration 

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. (right) with Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Evan P. Garcia (left).  During the event, Secretary Locsin also endorsed Ambassador Garcia's candidature as International Organization for Migration Deputy Director General.   (Geneva PM photo)

15 June 2019 – The Philippines is fully behind the candidature of Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations in Geneva, for Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. proudly endorsed the candidature of Ambassador Garcia at the commemoration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippines Independence of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva on 13 June 2019.

“Today, we push our commitment to multilateralism and migration further with the candidature of Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative to UN Geneva, for Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration,” said Secretary Locsin, adding that, “Behind Ambassador Garcia is 40 years of Philippine experience in migration diplomacy. When no countries spoke up for migrants, the Philippines did. ”

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has a combined population of over 640 million, has also endorsed him as its regional candidate.

Ambassador Garcia is a seasoned career diplomat, a pride of the Philippine Foreign Service, with over 30 years of experience in bilateral, regional and global affairs. He was Undersecretary for Policy of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. He served two terms as Permanent Representative to Geneva, has been Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and has served in Washington DC and Tokyo.

Ambassador Garcia’s vision is for an IOM that is fully integrated into the UN system, with its Policy Advisory capacity and output into the UN System strengthened. He also pledged to enhance IOM’s frontline capabilities for humanitarian assistance, fieldwork, research, and capacity building and training, including through mobilizing resources and strengthening IOM’s traditional partnerships and cultivating new ones. Central to this vision is the improvement of gender equality and geographic representation in the organization.

The IOM is an intergovernmental organization that addresses issues and concerns on migration and provides services and advice to governments concerning migration issues. END

(Geneva PM photo)