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Globe wants to eliminate “illegal” repeater sellers

Globe Telecom, Inc. is requesting regulators to address the growing number of sellers of “illegal” repeaters online, or devices that boost internet signals, as these interfere with network signals among communities.

In a statement released on Friday, the telco operator said it wrote a letter to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to amend current rules to allow only type-approved repeaters.

Among its suggestions are requiring subscribers to buy and use repeaters that are type-approved by telcos, and doing a monthly inspection of frequencies to monitor any interference caused by unauthorized radio transmitting devices.

“We are exerting so much effort in making the mobile and internet experience more enjoyable and pleasant for our customers. These expansion and network rollouts, however, will be useless… if illegal repeaters keep on negating our efforts to improve experience,” Globe Chief Legal Counsel Vicente Froilan M. Castelo said in the statement. 

Globe noted illegal repeaters are common on online shopping sites, but these are prohibited by the NTC through Memorandum Order No. 01-02-2013.

“[I]llegal repeaters may boost the weak signal of a user but these unauthorized devices likewise put into risk the lives of other people in the community who need assistance in matters of life and death situations,” Mr. Castelo said.

The company is eyeing to introduce “authorized” repeaters by working with several technology companies. It said it will make sure these will not interfere with Globe’s network signals. — Denise A. Valdez

Security Bank sees PHL economy contracting by 7.7% in 2020, rebounding in 3 years

Security Bank’s Trust Asset Management Group expects the Philippine economy to rebound to pre-pandemic levels in three years after a possible contraction of 7.7% by year-end.

The bank unit said the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) may return to 6% by 2023 as the central bank keeps policy rates low.

“The good liquidity brought by the forceful response of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and low interest rates put the country in a good position for consumption rebound,” Noel Reyes, the bank’s group chief investment officer, said in a statement on Friday.

The overnight reverse repurchase, lending, and deposit rates are at record lows of 2.25%, 2.75%, and 1.75%, respectively.

The central bank has also slashed reserve requirements by 200 bps to 12% for big banks and by 100 bps for thrift and rural banks to 3% and 2%, respectively.

Security bank’s asset managers see growth of 3.5% year on year in 2021 as industries slowly recoup losses from the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

For this year, its trust and management group expects GDP to shrink by 7.7% as households cut their budgets and businesses slow their operations.

“This can be attributed to the fact that most Filipinos will continue to stay at home, only spend on essentials, and still refrain from purchasing non-essential items,” the group said.

Their projection is a bigger contraction than the recent rates from the government and some analysts.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee announced a downgraded GDP projection of -5.5%.

ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office also cut its 2020 GDP projection for the Philippines to -6.6%.

With an P18-trillion economy, the Philippines lost around P1.5 trillion for every month of strict lockdown in the second quarter, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said in an online briefing.

Security Bank President and CEO Sanjiv Vohra said the health sector should be further improved to boost the economy to pre-COVID-19 levels.

“It’s a delicate balancing act for sure, and the key will be to strengthen our public health so that we make sure that our workforce and thereby our economy will remain productive, and business and consumer confidence returns,” Mr. Vohra said in a statement.

Economic managers recently slashed growth projections for 2021 and 2022 to 6.5-7.5%. They earlier forecast 8-9% growth for 2021, and 6-7% growth for 2022. — Kathryn Kristina T. Jose

Gov’t invites train bids for Malolos-Clark railway

The Department of Transportation (DoTr) has started soliciting bids for the provision of trains for the Malolos-Clark segment of the North-South Commuter Railway project.

In an invitation to bid announcement printed in a newspaper on Friday, the DoTr and the Philippine National Railway said they started selling bid documents for the project on Sept. 15, and will be accepting bid submissions until the morning of Dec. 16.

The project involves designing, manufacturing, delivering, installing, and integrating 38 eight-car trains that will traverse the Malolos-Clark railway. The company that wins the bidding must also provide technical support for the trains.

The bid documents are sold at P50,000 per package. Companies that will be submitting their bids must pay a bid security of 1 billion yen (about P459.99 million).

Qualified to bid are companies with experience as prime contractor, subcontractor or management contractor for at least the last 10 years. They must also have a minimum of two similar contracts that have been completed between January 2009 and December 2020.

Interested companies must submit their financial performance for the past five years to prove long-term profitability. They must also have access to a minimum of $70 million.

Earlier this week, a group led by Megawide Construction Corp. won the bid to build a 17-kilometer viaduct structure and elevated station buildings for the Malolos-Clark railway.

The Malolos-Clark railway is part of the 163-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway, which aims to link Calamba in Laguna to Clark in Pampanga through a three-segment railway, the others being the Calamba-Tutuban railway and the Tutuban-Malolos railway.

The project is funded through a loan by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. – Denise A. Valdez

San Miguel to consider Phivolcs comments on Bulacan airport flooding

Bulacan airport proponent San Miguel Corp. said it will consider the comments of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) about possible flooding at the proposed air gateway.

In a statement released on Friday, San Miguel Vice-Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said the company will use engineering intervention to avoid the risks that come with building an airport in a coastal area.

“We would like to assure all stakeholders, particularly those who expressed concerns or opposition to the project, as well as those who offered inputs and suggestions, that we value your inputs and will seriously take them into consideration,” Mr. Ang said.

“[W]e have actually started implementing sustainable measures to address flooding in Bulacan that has existed for several decades… [T]he public can be assured that San Miguel has studied the project, its feasibility, and all possible risks, and will incorporate these into the final design of the project,” he added.

In a Senate hearing last Wednesday, Phivolcs Director Renato U. Solidum said the P734-billion Bulacan airport project is at risk of flooding and ground shaking because of the site it will stand on. Non-government organizations have also raised concerns about the effects of the project on the environment.

San Miguel said that to address these concerns, it has tapped Groupe ADP (Aeroports de Paris), Meinhardt Group and Jacobs Engineering Group for the construction of the airport. These firms are behind Singapore’s Changi airport, France’s Charles de Gaulle airport, and the United States’ Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport.

The company wants to build an “aerotropolis” on a 2,400-hectare site in Bulacan, where there will be four parallel runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminal buildings. — Denise A. Valdez

ARTA wants to expand powers to investigate, punish

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) plans to ask for expanded powers so it can investigate and punish violators of the Ease of Doing Business Law, instead of just issuing warnings.

ARTA said it will make recommendations to Congress, explaining that its enforcement of the law has been limited to monitoring, evaluation, and issuing warnings.

In a press release on Friday, ARTA said that non-compliance with the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 – the law against bureaucratic red tape – should be punishable, either administratively or criminally.

“While the directive to comply uses the word ‘shall’ which connotes mandatory action, the absence of administrative or criminal sanction dilutes the complying power of ARTA to enforce its mandate,” it said.

ARTA proposed that it be given subpoena and contempt powers, and be deputized to formally investigate violations.

It also asked that its recommendations to streamline government agency processes be made mandatory.

“Making ARTA’s findings on suggested changes in the different agencies’ processes mandatory for implementation will definitely solve a lot of red tape problems. The real lasting solution is enforced streamlining and not just a mere recommendation,” ARTA Director General Jeremiah B. Belgica said.

ARTA also sought to require government agencies to allocate a percentage of their budgets for an Ease of Doing Business plan.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte last week asked Congress to amend the Ease of Doing Business law. But senators instead proposed additional legislation that will give the president powers to suspend government bureaucratic requirements and shorten required processing times.

“With the news of a possible grant of anti-red tape emergency powers to the President during this state of national emergency, the Council also approved the anti-red tape emergency powers that could be granted to the President during a state of emergency,” ARTA said.

ARTA’s recommendations were approved by the Ease of Doing Business and Anti-Red Tape Advisory Council, which includes Mr. Belgica as well as the Trade, Finance, Information and Communications technology, and Local Government secretaries, along with private sector representatives. —  Jenina P. Ibañez

IPOPHL, PTTC collaborating on intellectual property education for MSMEs

The country’s intellectual property office is working with the trade department to develop training programs for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said in a press release on Friday that it is collaborating with the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC) of the trade department to develop intellectual property education programs.

Through a memorandum of agreement signed on Sept. 18, IPOPHL will develop the training programs and course materials. The office will also train the trade department’s resource persons and increase intellectual property (IP) mentoring programs for MSMEs.

The PTTC will then use the intellectual property modules for its training programs.

IPOPHL said that having an intellectual property strategy will help businesses safeguard their rights, and help small businesses increase their attractiveness to investors.

“We see our advocacy in pushing for wider IP as effective in enhancing MSMEs’ competitiveness, scaling up market competition and giving consumers a wider range of options. This in turn is hoped to stimulate their purchasing appetite, and in turn revitalize demand,” IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said. 

Filing for inventions, trademarks, utility models, and industrial designs are driven largely by MSMEs, IPOPHL said. — Jenina P. Ibañez

PHL stocks extend decline as investors await October lockdown rules

By Denise A. Valdez, Senior Reporter 

The main index continued to its fourth straight day of decline on Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of the release of new quarantine rules in Metro Manila and key regions.

The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) slid 7.14 points or 0.12% to close at 5,838.66 on the last day of the trading week. The broader all shares index dipped 1.32 point or 0.04% to end at 3,520.63.

“The local bourse ended on red territory as investors conducted some last minute profit-taking activity ahead of the government’s decision on whether or not Metro Manila shall still be placed under the current lockdown measures in place,” Timson Securities, Inc. Trader Darren T. Pangan said in a text message.

For the month of September, Metro Manila remained under a general community quarantine, the second least restrictive in the government’s four-tier quarantine levels aimed at curbing the rise of coronavirus infections. 

The government is set to make an announcement before Sept. 30.

Investors are closely watching what the next move of the government will be, as local coronavirus cases continue to rise daily. 

The Health Department reported 2,630 new cases on Friday, lifting the total case tally to 299,361, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Foreign investors remained net sellers for the 11th straight day, which Mr. Pangan said is “due to a lack of significant fresh catalysts in the local scene.” Net foreign outflows stood at P627.97 million on Friday, up from the previous day’s P292.84 million.

Weak sentiment due to overseas developments affected the local market too, Regina Capital Development Corp. Head of Sales Luis A. Limlingan said in a mobile message. Among these are the rapid increase in coronavirus cases in Europe and the expectation of bigger fiscal stimulus among regional markets.

The Euro Stoxx 50 and DAX indices trimmed 0.26% and 0.22%, respectively, on Thursday. The FTSE 100 index grew 0.23%.

Back home, sectoral indices were mixed on Friday. Mining and oil rose 60.08 points or 1.03% to 5,874.06; property improved 19.27 points or 0.71% to 2,725.90; and financials climbed 0.55 point or 0.05% to 1,139.08.

Among the losers were services, which cut 7.50 points or 0.52% to 1,449.19; holding firms, which shed 18.36 points or 0.30% to 6,035.96; and industrial, which lost 21.22 points or 0.27% to 7,872.50.

Some 1.41 billion issues valued at P3.66 billion switched hands on Friday, against Thursday’s 1.07 billion issues worth P4.05 billion.

Advancers outnumbered decliners, 110 against 86. Some 44 names ended unchanged.

How to take responsibility for your life

In a chapter from Sh*tty Places & Selfish People: 7 Rules of Engagement, a book on how to actualize your aspirations for happiness and success, author Cliff Eala outlines the steps for taking responsibility for your life.

“Finding a better version of yourself starts with this rule. You’ve got to take the step; no one can ever take it for you,” he said during the online book launch on September 24.

Taking responsibility for your life is guided by two precepts: finding meaning by pursuing your full potential in the context of your values and circumstances; and fostering relationships by making a difference for the good of people you.

Both precepts, noted Mr. Eala, are propelled by the need to go beyond yourself. “We are born into selfishness, but we find completion in others,” he said.

These precepts can be fully realized by following these four steps, as explained by the author.

1. Visualize your better future self.

Start by imagining the potential outcomes that could be part of being a better version of yourself. Factor in your strengths and interests. Identify the market need that will be served to ensure financial stability. Rank them according to your hierarchy of values to pinpoint priorities and trade-offs, if necessary.

List these outcomes and use them as the basis for creating a vision board. Beside it, place a complementary “Status Quo” vision board that paints a picture of yourself 20 years in the future if no improvement takes place. “My hope is that the ‘Status’ board will show what the frustrations will turn out to be, and that will jolt you to realizing that you need to get up and move,” said Mr. Eala.

2. Assess.

Assess the gap between your “Better Future Self” vision board and your current position. This will show you how much work you need to do in order to make that vision board a reality.

3. Plan.

Jumpstart the work by listing down and mapping out specific steps that need to be taken. This includes identifying skills that have to be acquired, habits that must change, and difficult conversations that need to take place.

4. Act.

Walking the path to a brighter future can become scary, tiring, and overwhelming. When these feelings start cropping up, don’t freeze and push on.

Narrow steps down further into specific action plans. Accept that failure will happen somewhere along the way. Take responsibility for these mistakes, and brace oneself for the cycle that will inevitably occur.

“You really have no idea what’s going to come your way at any point in your life. By learning how to cope with uncertainty, you become more confident and resilient. You find ways around the problem rather than becoming paralyzed by it,” said Fernando Zobel de Ayala, president and chief operating officer of Ayala Corporation, who was a guest at Mr. Eala’s book launch. — Mariel Alison L. Aguinaldo

US labor market losing speed as fiscal stimulus wanes

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased last week, supporting views the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic was running out of steam amid diminishing government funding.

The weekly jobless claims report from the Labor Department on Thursday, the most timely data on the economy’s health, also showed 26 million people were on unemployment benefits in early September. The faltering labor market recovery and a recent rise in new coronavirus infections has piled pressure on Congress and the White House to come up with another rescue package.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday reiterated the need for more fiscal stimulus, telling lawmakers that it could make the difference between continued recovery and a much slower economic slog. New fiscal relief is looking increasingly unlikely before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

“The high level of joblessness shows that the country isn’t out of the woods yet and it won’t be if the pleading of Fed officials for more stimulus isn’t heard by government officials down in Washington,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York. “The economy is running on empty.”

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 4,000 to a seasonally adjusted 870,000 for the week ended Sept. 19. Data for the prior week was revised to show 6,000 more applications received than previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 840,000 applications in the latest week.

Unadjusted claims increased 28,527 to 824,542 last week. Economists prefer the unadjusted claims number given earlier difficulties adjusting the claims data for seasonal fluctuations because of the economic shock caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Six months after the pandemic started in the United States, jobless claims remain above their 665,000 peak during the 2007–09 Great Recession, though applications have dropped from a record 6.867 million at the end of March.

While the reopening of businesses in May boosted activity, demand in the vast services sector has remained lackluster, keeping layoffs elevated. Job cuts have also spread to industries such as financial services and technology that were not initially impacted by the mandated business closures in mid-March because of insufficient demand.

A total 630,080 applications were received for the government-funded pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) last week.

The PUA is for the self-employed, gig workers, and others who do not qualify for the regular state unemployment programs. PUA applications could fall in the coming weeks after California last Saturday suspended the filing of new claims for two weeks to combat fraud.

Altogether, 1.5 million people filed claims last week.

Stocks on Wall Street were higher. The dollar was lower against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury prices rose.

STALLED PROGRESS

The claims report also showed the number of people receiving benefits after an initial week of aid dropped 167,000 to 12.58 million in the week ending Sept. 12.

Economists believe the so-called continuing claims are declining partly as people exhaust their eligibility for benefits, which are limited to 26 weeks in most states.

Indeed, just under one million workers exhausted their first six months of state unemployment benefits in August. At least 1.6 million workers filed for extended unemployment benefits in the week ending Sept. 5, up 104,479 from the prior week.

The continuing claims data covered the period during which the government surveyed households for September’s unemployment rate. The decline in mid-September implied a further decrease in the jobless rate from 8.4% in August.

“Only faster progress against the virus itself will assuage the unemployment struggles of so many workers in fields like entertainment who can’t return to their jobs until social distancing restrictions are relaxed,” said Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at The Century Foundation in New York.

The Fed has cut interest rates to near zero and vowed to keep borrowing costs low for a while, and has also been pumping money into the economy. Government money to help businesses has virtually dried up. Tens of thousands of airline workers are facing layoffs or furloughs next month.

A $600 weekly unemployment benefits supplement ended in July and was replaced with a $300 weekly subsidy, whose funding is already running out.

The ebbing fiscal stimulus is already restraining the economy after activity rebounded sharply over the summer. Gross domestic product is expected to rebound at as much as a record 35% annualized rate in the third quarter after tumbling at a 31.7% rate in the April-June period, the worst performance since the government started keeping records in 1947.

But retail sales and production at factories moderated in August. Business activity cooled in September, reports have shown. Goldman Sachs on Wednesday cut its fourth-quarter GDP growth estimate to a 3% rate from a 6% pace, citing “lack of further fiscal support.”

Despite the economy’s fading fortunes, the housing market continues to shine, with new home sales near a 14-year high in August. — Lucia Mutikani/Reuters

A digital banking trailblazer: UnionBank is Philippines’ ‘Best Bank for SMEs’

Three-time “Best Digital Bank” winner, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank), was recently acclaimed as the Philippines’ Best Bank for SMEs, by Asiamoney. This latest award comes on the heels of UnionBank’s citation as the top 2 ‘Most Helpful Banks in Asia- Pacific during COVID-19”by BankQuality.com.

It also underscores UnionBank’s primary goal of using its digital expertise to extend more financial services to all Filipinos, including the strategically-vital small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who comprise about 99% of the country’s registered businesses.

UnionBank was honored for providing better funding opportunities to small businesses which are the engines of growth and innovation in the country.

“The potential for SMEs in the Philippines is huge but too many small retailers, who are unable to access the conventional banking system, turn to loan sharks. By helping bring these companies into the financial system, UnionBank is making an admirable contribution not just to its own bottomline but to the future of its country,” awards body Asiamoney said.

In the Philippines, despite the vital role SMEs play in the country’s economy, they are often under the radar, encountering various challenges such as limited access to finance, information and technology, and even the local and international market.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shows that only P6.6 billion is allocated by banks to help SMEs.

This is a key reason why UnionBank launched its dedicated SME Business Banking Group to address their needs.

Consequently, the bank was the first to launch two critical solutions to serve the SMEs: UnionBank GlobalLinker which houses various collaboration tools that allow SMEs to have access to end-to-end eCommerce solutions in a single place, and the Financial Supply Chain powered by Blockchain – enabling digitized-lending through this channel.

UnionBank president and CEO Edwin Bautista expressed gratitude for this latest award bestowed on UnionBank and vowed to proceed with their initiatives to help alleviate the country in these challenging times.

“This recognition is another testament to our commitment of harnessing technology to more quickly drive financial inclusion in the country. This pandemic emphasizes that all of us must have a higher purpose than just “profit.”For UnionBank, this greater-purpose is to extend banking and financial services to the mass market and the unbanked, via best-in-class digital and physical channels, so that they can be “digitally transformed” and future-ready,” Bautista said.

Apple critics form coalition to challenge App Store fees

SAN FRANCISCO — A group of Apple Inc.’s critics—including Spotify Technology SA, Match Group Inc., and Fortnite creator Epic Games—have joined a nonprofit group that plans to advocate for legal and regulatory action to challenge the iPhone maker’s App Store practices.

Apple charges a commission of between 15%–30% for apps that use its in-app payment system and sets out extensive rules for apps in its App Store, which is the only—way Apple allows consumers to download native apps to devices such as the iPhone. Those practices have drawn criticism and formal legal complaints from some developers.

The Coalition for App Fairness, structured as a nonprofit based in Washington, DC, and Brussels, said it plans to advocate legal changes that would force Apple to change. Beyond Epic, Match, and Spotify, other members include smaller firms such as Basecamp, Blix, Blockchain.com, Deezer, and Tile, along with developers from Europe including the European Publishers Council, News Media Europe, and Protonmail.

Epic is suing Apple over antitrust claims in a US federal court in California, while Spotify has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union. Sarah Maxwell, a representative for the group, declined to comment on how much funding the Coalition for App Fairness has raised and from whom.

Apple declined to comment but on Thursday unveiled a new section of its website explaining the benefits of its approach, saying it had blocked 150,000 apps last year for privacy violations. It says App Store fees fund the creation of developer resources such as 160,000 technical documents and sample code to help developers build apps.

Mike Sax, founder of The App Association, a group sponsored by Apple, said in statement that the new coalition’s “big brands do not speak for the thousands of app makers that are the foundation of the app economy.” — Stephen Nellis/Reuters

If world handles climate like COVID-19, UN chief says: ‘I fear the worst’

NEW YORK — The United States, China, and Russia fought on Thursday during a United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting on the coronavirus pandemic after UN chief Antonio Guterres had warned the body that if the climate crisis was approached with the “same disunity and disarray” of COVID-19, then: “I fear the worst.”

Mr. Guterres said the coronavirus was out of control as the global death toll approaches 1 million, while more than 30 million have been infected. He blamed “a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity.”

“The pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation—a test we have essentially failed,” he told the 15-member body.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Chinese government’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, both took veiled swipes at the United States during the virtual council meeting on global governance post-COVID-19, to which US Ambassador Kelly Craft responded: “Shame on each of you.”

“I am astonished and I am disgusted by the content of today’s discussion … members of the council who took this opportunity to focus on political grudges rather than the critical issue at hand,” she said.

While not naming any countries, Mr. Lavrov noted that the pandemic had deepened differences between states.

“We see attempts on the part of individual countries to use the current situation in order to move forward their narrow interests of the moment, in order to settle the score with an undesirable government or geopolitical competitors,” he said.

Long-simmering tensions between the United States and China hit the boiling point over the pandemic, spotlighting Beijing’s bid for greater multilateral influence in a challenge to Washington’s traditional leadership.

Mr. Wang called for better coordination and cooperation among key powers on Thursday.

“Major countries are even more duty-bound to put the future of humankind first, discard Cold War mentality and ideological bias, and come together in the spirit or partnership to tide over the difficulties,” he said.

‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’

US President Donald J. Trump is facing a Nov. 3 re-election battle as the United States is dealing with the world’s highest official number of deaths and infections from the coronavirus. Washington accuses Beijing of a lack of transparency that it says worsened the outbreak. China denies the US assertions.

Ms. Craft reiterated those accusations on Thursday, echoing a call by Mr. Trump for the world body to hold China accountable.

China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun rejected her accusations and said: “Enough is enough. You have created enough troubles for the world already. … The US should understand that blaming others will not solve its own problems.”

The United States has announced plans to leave the Geneva-based World Health Organization after Trump accused it of becoming a puppet for China during the coronavirus pandemic. The WHO has rejected Trump’s assertion.

“At times, geopolitics have tampered cooperation and hindered our agility. The pandemic has tested the international system like never before,” said Britain’s Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon. “But now is not the moment to reject international institutions.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also appeared to take a stab at the United States when he said the pandemic should not be used to undermine “all the work has been done over recent decades by feminist movements for gender equality.”

“We must be on our guard, we must be watchful, particularly when it comes to protecting sexual reproductive rights,” he told the Security Council.

Mr. Trump’s administration has led a push at the United Nations against the promotion of sexual and reproductive health rights and services for women because it sees that as code for abortion. Earlier this month, the United States voted against a UN General Assembly resolution on the coronavirus pandemic partly because it included such language. — Michelle Nichols/Reuters