A
PROPOSED RESOLUTION FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FRIENDSHIP
by Renee Dominique C. Rodelas, Team Hegemon
INTRODUCTORY
NOTE
International Day of
Friendship, commonly known as World Friendship Day, is a United Nations (UN)
proclamation that highlights friendship - between peoples, countries, cultures
and/or individuals – as a fundamental idea to promote peace, unity, solidarity,
mutual understanding and reconciliation between domestic and international communities
while encouraging the youth, as future leaders, to get involved in activities
that promote international understanding and respect for diversity.
Inspired by the
friendship celebrations of some South African countries, World Friendship Day started
out as a concept proposed by Dr. Ramon Artemio Brachio and his collegues while
having dinner on the River Paraguay in 1958. The meeting resulted to a weeklong
friendship celebration from 21 to 27 July 1958 with the entire community of
Puerto Pinasco, then to Asuncion, Concepcion, Puerto Sastre and Puerto Casado.
The following year, the week of Friendship was held from 24 to 30, with July 30
as the closing act of the celebration. This social impact led to the creation
of the World Friendship Crusade in 1968, and the establishment of its branches
in the Vatican, Canary Islands, Columbia, Tokyo, Jerusalem, United States,
United Kingdom, Denmark, France, and Netherlands (History of the World Friendship Crusade, 2008). The Crusade began
to lobby to UN for the recognition of World Friendship Day for years until
finally, on 2011, the General Assembly decided to designate 30 July as the
International Day of Friendship and invited all member-states to observe the
International Day of Friendship in accordance with the culture and customs of
their local, national and regional communities through education and public
awareness-raising activities (UN General Assembly, 2011).
World Friendship Day
is also intended to support the goals and objectives of the “Declaration and
Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace”, a UNESCO-proposed initiative that
defines the values, attitude, and behavior that rejects violence and prevent
conflicts throughout the globe. Adopted in 1999, the Declaration sets out area
actions designed for individuals, nations, and communities in order for “culture
of peace” to prevail, specifically the promotion of sustainable economic and
social development, promotion of international peace and security, support for
participatory communication and democratic participation, education, respect
for human rights and gender equality, and advance understanding, tolerance and
solidarity (UN General Assembly, 1999). This Day also
supports the “International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for
the Children of the World” proclamation, emphasizing the need for “culture of
peace” and non-violence to emanate from adults and be instilled in children in
order to the strengthen of international peace and cooperation (UN General Assembly, 1998).
Cebu is and always has
been a catering of many cultures. With its strategic location being at the
heart of the Philippines itself, Cebu has been a business hub for both local
and international businessmen and traders. Historically speaking, Cebu has
established economic ties with China, Malaysia, Japan, India, Burma and other
parts of Asia even before the Spanish era. Currently, information technology
(IT) has been one of Cebu’s economic drivers in the recent years, contributing 56
percent of Metro Cebu’s total economic output, with foreign BPO companies like
call center agencies at the forefront of the business (Sicat, 2014). Since 2010, its
export growth rate has averaged close to 20 percent, considerably higher than
any other province in the Philippines. Its major hubs have helped increased
economic activity within its peripheries while supporting the thousands of
domestic and international employees, workers and businessmen in the area (Adarme, 2015). This lush attention
of Cebu has not only attracted businessmen abroad, but has also fascinated foreigners
with its culture and heritage. From old European to the traditional Chinese up
to the modern Western culture, its rich collection of culture has made Cebu a well-distinguished
cosmopolitan. Tourist arrival statistics to the Central Visayas is now 2.1
million, with Cebu’s tourist arrivals contributing 90 percent to the system (Cacho, 2015). Its famous tourist
spots like the Sto. Niño Basilica, Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro, and the
old Jesuit House and museums positively impacted tourism in the province, thus
hailed as the “Tourism Gateway for Central and Southern Philippines” (Adarme, 2015).
The objective of World
Friendship Day is to promote unity and fellowship irrespective of religion,
race, colour, class and creed. Despite the gritty and shady past between
countries, the Philippines have continuously observe the celebration of its
Friendship Day with Spain, Japan and the United States, among others,
signifying camaraderie with their former colonizers. While friendship days are
commemorations of ties established to celebrate, to remember and to reconcile with
each other from a bitter past, the celebration of World Friendship Day can
serve as a medium for Cebu to take advantage of its nature as having a mixture
of culture, norms and heritages that individuals, regardless of nationality,
can commemorate through sharing cultural practices.
Word Count: 796
PROPOSED
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS,
in recalling the United Nation Resolution 65/L.72 designating July 30 as the International
Day of Friendship inviting all member-states to observe this celebration in an
appropriate manner and in accordance to the culture and customs of their local,
national and regional communities;
WHEREAS,
the celebration of the Philippines’ bilateral relationships with countries such
as Republic Act 9187 or the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, Proclamation No.
905 or the Philippine-Japanese Friendship Day, Proclamation No. 148 or the
Philippine-Chinese Friendship Day, and Proclamation No. 811 or the
Filipino-American Friendship Day, strengthened by its historical ties and
shared cultures, values and traditions, signifies its commitment to unity and
camaraderie;
WHEREAS,
in reaffirming the statements mentioned above, the University of San Carlos
Political Science majors of International Relations of Foreign Service (IRFS)
and the Carolinian Circle of Young Diplomats (CCYD) shall partner with the
Office of External Relations to celebrate the International Day of Friendship
every 30th of July;
WHEREAS,
a World Friendship Day photo exhibit shall be displayed inside the premise of
the University of San Carlos – Downtown Campus, showcasing the importance and
significance of the celebration, as well as the efforts made by UN
member-states in commemorating the event;
THEREFORE,
the Carolinian Circle of Young Diplomats in its ___ Parliamentary session
assembled and as moved by Rt. Hon. Renee Dominique C. Rodelas and seconded by
______
RESOLVED,
AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, to request the IRFS 141: Special Topics in
International Relations to research the necessary information on the
celebration as stated above;
RESOLVED
FURTHER, to direct the Ministry of Documentation to furnish copies of this
resolution to IRFS 141 Instructor and CCYD Adviser Atty. Archill Niña F.
Capistrano, MInternatRel and to the CCYD Ministries for their information and
guidance.
Submitted by:
Rt.
Hon. Renee Dominique C. Rodelas, MP
Minister of Information and Communication
REFERENCES
Public
Holidays. (2015). International Day of Friendship 2015 and 2016.
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History
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http://cplavila.blogspot.com/2008/03/resea-histrica-de-la-cruzada-mundial-de.html
UN
General Assembly. (2011, April 21). International Day of Friendship.
Retrieved August 31, 2015, from United Nations:
http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/65/L.72
United
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http://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/background.shtml
UN
General Assembly. (1998, November 19). International Decade for a Culture
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Retrieved August 31, 2015, from United Nations:
http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/53/25
UN
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Cebu
- Quick Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2015, from Province of Cebu
Official Website: http://www.cebu.gov.ph/about-cebu/quick-facts/
Adarme,
N. (2015, May 9). 5 Reasons Cebu’s Economy is Growing so Rapidly.
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Sicat,
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Cacho,
K. O. (2015, August 21). Central Visayas welcomed 2.1 million visitors this
year. Retrieved August 31, 2015, from Sun Star:
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2015/08/21/central-visayas-welcomed-21-million-visitors-year-425971
Proclamation
No. 148, s. 2002. (2002). Retrieved August 31, 2015, from Official Gazette:
http://www.gov.ph/2002/01/24/proclamation-no-148-s-2002/
Proclamation
No. 905, s. 2005. (2005). Retrieved August 31, 2015, from Official Gazette:
http://www.gov.ph/2005/08/30/proclamation-no-905-s-2005/
Republic
Act 9187. (2002). Retrieved August 31, 2015, from House of
Representatives: http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/ra_12/RA09187.pdf
Proclamation
No. 811, s. 1996. (1996). Retrieved August 31, 2015, from Official Gazette:
http://www.gov.ph/1996/07/17/proclamation-no-811-s-1996/
