DOHA 04 October 2024 — Her Excellency Philippine Ambassador to the State of Qatar Lillibeth V. Pono lauded the designation of “Sports Diplomacy” as the theme for the 3rd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on 03 October 2024.

Heading the Philippine delegation to the pan-Asian gathering, Ambassador Pono said pursuing sports diplomacy is timely, given sport’s universal role in fostering peace, understanding, friendship and goodwill among nations, further enhanced by the tourism sector’s major role in enhancing people-to-people connectivity, in line with the ACD pillar on culture and tourism.

The Philippine is one of the founding members of the ACD, which was inaugurated in 2002. It aims to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level to constitute the missing link in Asia, and build a strong future for the Asian community without duplicating the role of other regional organizations.

Delivering the national statement, Ambassador Pono said, “The Philippines joins the rest of the ACD Member States in shaping this common Asian future and ushering in this new era through the work of the ACD.”

She also called for the expeditious implementation of the ACD Blueprint 2021-2030 across all pillars. She said the Philippines stands ready to support the prime movers of the six ACD working groups, namely the Working Group on Connectivity, the Working Group on Science, Technology and Innovation, the Working Group on Education and Human Resource Development, the Working Group on Interrelations of Food, Water and Energy Security, the Working Group on Culture and Tourism; and the Working Group on Promoting Approaches to Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

“These priorities are well aligned with our own national agenda,” Ambassador Pono said. “We commit to exploring opportunities for action and collaboration with members as we strive to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”

In response to the latest developments in the region, Ambassador Pono said the Philippines reiterates its call for the resolution of disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law.

“We underscore the importance of the rule of law,” she said. “Together with the rest of the ACD Member States, the Philippines reaffirms the primacy of the rules-based international order as the overarching framework in finding immediate and just solutions to the various crises facing the world today.”

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