Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya has been elected as the head of the governing body of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Malaya was elected as the president of the Administrative Council of the PCA for the year 2023-2024.
The election took place during its 208th session on December 12, which was affirmed by acclamation during the Council session, upon the nomination of the Asia Group in the Administrative Council.
The Administrative Council is the governing body of the PCA that is composed of the representatives of the PCA’s 122 member states.
In his remark, the country’s envoy affirmed the Philippines’ commitment to contributing to the important undertakings of the PCA.
He pledged to work closely with the member states and PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak as he said that “the PCA represents our great ideals of achieving justice and peace through law.”
The next two years are auspicious for the PCA as it will commemorate its 125-year milestone in 2024, Malaya added.
“It will be a time for a review and assessment on the status and prospects of our organization. In a world that is deeply troubled by wars near and far and beset with climate change and other global challenges, it is also a time for reflection for us in the Administrative Council on how we in our time can ensure that the PCA remains dynamic, relevant and faithful to its original vision as a permanent institution of arbitration accessible to all and at all times, working for the maintenance of global peace,” he added.
Malaya is the first Filipino and second non-Dutch national to serve at the helm of the Administrative Council of the PCA, the international legal organization based at the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Malaya led the Philippine accession in 2010 to the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, which paved the way for the country’s membership in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Before becomjng the Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, Malaya was undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) from 2019 to 202 and twice served as Assistant Secretary (Director-General) for Treaties and Legal Affairs from 2007 to 2011 and from 2017 to 2019.
He was also the Philippine ambassador to Malaysia from 2011 to 2017 and the DFA spokesman from 2009 to 2011.
Malaya is the main author as well as editor of nine books on international law, diplomacy and history.
The PCA is one of the world’s foremost dispute settlement tribunals, alongside the International Court of Justice. The awards and decisions of its tribunals and commissions have significantly shaped the development of international law and contributed to world peace, said the DFA.
It is the body that ruled on the disputes in the South China Sea between the Philippine and China in July 2016.
The Administrative Council provides general guidance on the work and general direction of the PCA, and supervises its administration, budget, and expenditure. It shapes the policy of the organization in consultation with its Secretary-General, DFA added.