Ambassador Denis Yap Lepatan joined other speakers during the 8th World Forum on Peace held on 17 November 2018 in Ticino, Switzerland.
In his speech, the Ambassador noted the key purpose of the United Nations (UN) which is “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom”, which is the essence of the UN development agenda.
Ambassador Denis Yap Lepatan delivers his remarks during the 8th World Peace Forum.
The Ambassador also noted the demographic transition that a number of countries have gone through, and that the Philippines is going through at present. He expressed confidence that demographic transition could bring significant positive changes in the Philippines considering other positive factors in the Philippines economy, namely: high investor confidence, ample foreign exchange reserves, positive GDP growth, and high rate of remittance, among others.
Ambassador Lepatan also noted the 25-year development plan of the Philippines, which was based on a survey conducted by the National Development Authority (NEDA) and which result showed that 79.2% of Filipinos want a “simple and comfortable life”. He said that the vision may be summed up to an even simple phrase, i.e. “no poverty”, the very same top priority of the UN development agenda. END
