Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 22) — Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano will call for international unity against terrorism and nuclear weapons before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Saturday.
Cayetano will represent President Rodrigo Duterte at the Assembly, which convened in New York on September 12.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said this is Cayetano’s first appearance in the global stage since he was appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary in May 2017.
Read: Duterte appoints Cayetano as DFA chief
Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Teddy Locsin said the speech is expected to tackle the threats of continuing missile launches and detonations by North Korea.
Related: North Korea’s Kim: Trump ‘will pay dearly’ for comments at UN
On Wednesday, Cayetano signed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a binding international agreement that calls for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.
Read: PH signs UN treaty banning nuclear weapons
The signing came amid North Korea’s repeated threats to conduct a nuclear attack, including launching a missile at the U.S. terrirtory of Guam, which is around 2,500 kilometers east of the Philippines.
Related: How does North Korea’s missile test affect the Philippines?
Security, drug war
Locsin also said Cayetano’s speech may touch on the threats of terror group ISIS, in light of the ongoing conflict with the ISIS-inspired Maute group in Marawi.
Locsin added that Cayetano will also share the government’s efforts to protect the rights Filipino migrant workers, as well as the ongoing campaign against criminality and illegal drugs.
The UN has been highly critical of the Duterte administration’s anti-criminality campaign.
On September 12, UN human rights chief Zei Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed grave concern over the spate of killings in the country, including the death of 17-year-old Grade 12 student Kian delos Santos in an August 16 police operation.
Read: UN rights commissioner ‘gravely concerned’ over PH killings
Meanwhile, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard has repeatedly slammed the government’s bloody war on drugs.
Related: Callamard calls for probe on all ‘unlawful’ deaths following Kian slay
Callamard has expressed her intention to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings in the drug war.
However, the government set three conditions for Callamard to continue with her probe: Callamard must have a public debate with President Rodrigo Duterte before the media; Duterte must be allowed to ask her questions; and she has to take an oath.
Callamard rejected these conditions, telling CNN Philippines it is not consistent with the code of conduct for special rapporteurs.
Read: U.N. special rapporteur rejects government conditions
Other events
Besides UN events, Locsin said Cayetano will hold bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Belgium, Colombia, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Morocco, Norway, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and the Vatican.
Locsin and Cayetano will also attend the 4th ASEAN Pacific Alliance Foreign Ministers Meeting, the 41st Annual Meeting for Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 and the ASEAN-Mercosur Foreign Ministers Meeting.
Cayetano is expected to lead an informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, and meet the President of the 72nd UN General Assembly and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Cayetano is also expected to meet the Filipino community in New York.
CNN Philippines Digital Producer Chad de Guzman contributed to this report.
