The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a resolution presented by the Philippines, along with other countries, that recognizes the important role of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the peaceful settlement of disputes. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo on Wednesday night welcomed the development as he said the resolution is the Philippines yet another contribution "to upholding the rule of law in preserving and maintaining international order." He added the resolution also "reflects our deep and unwavering commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes." Proposed to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the PCA, the UNGA resolution encourages member states to avail of the services of the international court that complement the mission of the UN to promote international peace and the development of international law. "The consensus adoption of the resolution shows that countries do see the merit of upholding the rule of international law and credible dispute settlement mechanisms like the PCA—to deal with their differences through diplomacy, peacefully, and not by force or intimidation," Manalo said. PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak welcomed the resolution's "very important message calling for universal accession to the PCA founding conventions" as Manalo also thanked the 122 co-sponsors, especially Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, and Thailand that "were members of our core group in supporting this resolution and ensuring its adoption by consensus." Established in 1899 with 122 contracting parties, the PCA is an intergovernmental organization, based in The Hague, The Netherlands, that provides a variety of dispute resolution services to the international community. It administers four of the five dispute settlement methods recommended in Article 33 of the UN Charter. They are: enquiry, mediation, conciliation and arbitration, complementing the work on judicial settlement by the International Court of Justice. Philippine Ambassador to The Hague J. Eduardo Malaya is the President of the PCA's Administrative Council, the governing body of the PCA.