WASHINGTON D.C. – In commemoration of the Philippine Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo), the Embassy of the Philippines formally opened the exhibit entitled, “Archipelagic States: Identity, Consciousness and Law”, on 16 October 2023.
Officials and representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Congress, think tanks and the diplomatic corps graced the opening.
In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez introduced the exhibit as a brief journey into the Philippine archipelago, showcasing images which emphasize the interconnected communities, ecosystems, and shared challenges of an archipelagic state.
Greg Poling, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), gave a short discussion on archipelagic states and the archipelagic doctrine.
This exhibit showcases the Philippines’ unique identity as an archipelago, as well as its maritime heritage, and its longstanding commitment to international law and the rule of law in the maritime domain as an archipelagic state under UNCLOS.
The exhibit is open to the public at the Philippine Chancery Annex, 1617 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington D.C. and will run until the end of October 2023. ###
