Next UN chief must prove that global cooperation works, says DFA

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said that the next United Nations (UN) Secretary-General must prove that international cooperation still works amid rising geopolitical tensions.

DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said that the UN was founded on a simple and powerful promise: that every nation, regardless of its size and strength, had a voice.

“The next Secretary General must do more than lead an institution. The next Secretary General must help restore faith in multilateralism itself, bridging divisions, defending the UN Charter and demonstrating that international cooperation could still deliver meaningful results,” Lazaro said in the DFA’s commemoration of UN Day.

“It is our hope to call upon the United Nations to renew its purpose, restore confidence in its institutions and uphold the principles upon which it was founded,” Lazaro said.

According to Lazaro, the UN stood at a turning point amid geopolitical tensions and challenges to international law.

The very principles of the UN were also being tested, as well as the world’s confidence in its ability to implement them.

“The question is no longer simply whether the United Nations remains relevant, it's whether it can remain effective in a world that increasingly questions the value of multilateralism itself. This is what makes the selection of the next UN Secretary General so consequential,” Lazaro said.

Lazaro said that the Philippines had a high stake in the UN, as it has long championed peaceful resolutions to international disputes.

“We know that a strong United Nations is not merely desirable; it is indispensable. Especially for nations whose security rests not on power, but on principle,” Lazaro said.

The DFA’s commemoration also saw a panel discussion which included Kabataan Partylist Renee Co, The Straits Times journalist Mara Cepeda and People’s Budget Coalition organizer Kenneth Abante.

Various diplomats were also in attendance.

A new Secretary-General will be selected in the remaining months of 2026 and will assume office in 2027, replacing António Guterres of Portugal. —LDF, GMA News