Official Visit of the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Contribution Ceremony

On 18 May 2026, H.E. Secretary Maria Theresa Parreño Lazaro, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, together with H.E. J. Eduardo Malaya, Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and representatives of the Embassy of the Philippines, paid an official visit to the Secretary-General of The Hague Academy of International Law, Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin.

The visit included a ceremony held in the prestigious Historical Reading Room of the Peace Palace, marking the voluntary contribution of the Government of the Philippines in support of the Academy’s scholarship programme.

On this occasion, the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to Honourable Secretary Lazaro and Ambassador Malaya for their continued support, which enables Filipino scholars to participate in the Academy’s Winter and Summer Courses. He also highlighted the longstanding and close relationship between the Academy and the Philippines, starting from the External Programme held in Manila in 2001, and recalling in particular the three Programmes on Demand subsequently organised in Manila and Tagatay in cooperation with the Supreme Court, the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJA), and the Office of the Solicitor General.

The visit concluded with a tour of The Hague Academy’s premises, led by Professor Thouvenin. The Academy looks forward to continuing this fruitful cooperation in the years to come.