DFA chief off to Norway for official visit

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario is heading for Norway on Wednesday for his first official visit there.

The visit is upon the invitation of Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Also it said del Rosario's trip reciprocates the visit of Brende to the Philippines in January 2014.

During his visit, Brende called on President Benigno Aquino III and visited the Yolanda-affected communities in Leyte.

On Thursday, Feb. 12, del Rosario and Brende are to discuss on Philippine-Norway cooperation in peace mediation, maritime affairs, disaster risk reduction and management and trade and investment.

Del Rosario is expected to convey to Brende the Philippine government’s appreciation for Norway’s support to the peace process.

"Norway is the third-party facilitator for the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front. It is also a member of the International Monitoring Team for the Philippine government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front peace talks and sits as Vice-chair of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) in charge of the decommissioning process of the MILF forces and arms," the DFA said.

Del Rosario is also expected to thank Norway for helping Philippine efforts to further improve seafarers’ education and training.

Some 25,000 Filipino seafarers are serving on board Norwegian-owned or -registered merchant vessels while Filipino maritime students benefit from training by the Norwegian Training Center Manila (NTCM), which was established by the Norwegian Shipowners Association in 1990.

"The NSA has embarked on a plan to expand and develop further the NTCM as the top training provider for Filipino seafarers," the DFA said.

The Philippines will also thank Norway for its solid partnership in disaster risk reduction and management.

Meanwhile, del Rosario will make a pitch for more Norwegian investments in renewable energy in the Philippines, particularly geothermal and solar power.

Feb. 11 meeting

Before del Rosario and Brende's meeting, a bilateral political consultation was scheduled for Feb. 11 between Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Collinson of the DFA Office of European Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Regional Affairs Director General Tore Hattrem.

The DFA also noted the Philippines is a recipient of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund investments.

It said the Norwegian government’s Pension Fund Global is the biggest sovereign wealth fund in the world with assets worth $870 billion as of May 2014.

According to the DFA, the fund is invested in companies outside Norway under strict criteria such as good corporate governance and ethical standards.

Top 10 Philippine companies with the biggest investments from the fund in 2013 included Metro Pacific Investments Corp., GT Capital Holdings Inc., SM Investments Corp., Puregold Price Club Inc., PLDT, Alliance Global Group Inc, International Container Terminal Services Inc, Petron Corp., Ayala Land Inc., and Universal Robina Corp.

Humanitarian assistance

Norway’s humanitarian assistance to victims of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) reached nearly $35 million, and was coursed through United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Food Programme (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

It was also channeled through international organizations such as the Red Cross, Save the Children Fund, and Caritas. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News

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