Philippines - International cooperation

The Philippines is a charter member of the UN, having joined on 24 October 1945, and belongs to ESCAP and all the nonregional specialized agencies. It participates in the International Sugar Agreement and the International Wheat Agreement. The Philippines is a member of ASEAN and led in the formation of the Asian Development Bank, which opened its headquarters in Manila in 1966. The International Rice Research Institute and the Southeast Asia Research Center for Agriculture are both located in Los Banos, south of Manila. The Philippines is also a member of G-77 and the WTO and a signatory to the Law of the Sea.