President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. received United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) in the Philippines, Arnaud Peral, in a courtesy call at Malacañan Palace on Thursday.

Peral assumed his position as UNRC in the Philippines on Feb. 5, 2025.

The courtesy call by the new UN representative aimed to strengthen the collaboration between the Philippines and the international body for the government’s national development priorities and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

President Marcos reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to multilateralism and willingness to work with the UN during its 80th anniversary. The Philippines is one of the 51 founding members of the UN.

Peral was appointed as UNRC in the Philippines on Feb. 1, 2025 by UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Peral, a native of France, had previously served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Tunisia since 2020.

Peral also served as UNRC and then as United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Ecuador, UNDP Country Director in Colombia, and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in México and Brazil.

The UN’s programs in the Philippines include public-private partnership projects that provide easy and affordable access to water supply and renewable energy, improve food security, promote low-carbon industrial parks, and support women’s employment and poverty reduction.

The international body is also working with Philippine authorities for disaster risk mitigation and adaptation, and supporting business owners, particularly women entrepreneurs, with the help of the latest artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. | PND