00:00The Philippines loses its bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council
00:05Wednesday, June 3 or early Thursday Manila time. At the end of four rounds of secret balloting,
00:11the Philippines received only 49 votes while rival Kyrgyzstan garnered 142 votes. Only the
00:18two countries were vying for the sole vacant seat for the Asia-Pacific region. The UN Security
00:23Council is considered the most powerful body in the UN. To win a seat, a member must secure at
00:28least two-thirds of the votes from those present during the session or 128 votes during the fourth round.
00:34In a statement released after voting concluded, Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Teresa Lazaro
00:39congratulates the Kyrgyz Republic. This is the first time the Philippines lost a bid for the UNSC.
00:45It sat on the UNSC in 2004, 1980, 1963, and 1957. This is also the first time Kyrgyzstan will sit
00:53on the Council. Its term will begin on January 1, 2027 and end on December 31, 2028.
00:59Some analysts and UN observers see the race in the context of the superpower competition between
01:04Washington and Beijing. The Philippines is a treaty ally of the United States,
01:08while Kyrgyzstan has closed trade and security ties with China.
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