Day: August 19, 2022

Japan’s foreign minister told the Nikkei news service Friday that he was working with China to arrange a summit meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

In an exclusive interview with the Japanese news agency, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said he hoped the two sides would schedule the meeting and improve ties in time to mark the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between their nations in September.

Hayashi told Nikkei, “Japan is always open to dialogue,” and called for a bilateral effort toward constructive and stable ties.

The news agency reports Kishida and Xi have not spoken to each other since a phone call in October 2021. Xi’s last face-to-face meeting with a Japanese leader occurred in December 2019. But Kishida views stable ties with China as a priority under his shift toward what he calls a “realist” diplomacy for a new era.

Japan’s foreign minister said Tokyo and Beijing would negotiate the details of a summit, including the format, whether they will meet in person, virtually or by phone.

He said the meeting was most likely to take place online in the next few months, but the talks could be held in a third country, such as on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia in November.

He indicated meeting either in China or Japan was considered unlikely at this time. The news agency said there was political opposition in Japan to the idea of Kishida making an official trip to China, given the recent increase in Chinese military activity in the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese military planes have crossed the strait’s median line, the unofficial buffer separating Taiwan and the mainland, several times over the past few weeks in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. Five ballistic missiles fell in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

Hayashi condemned China’s actions but said it is “in times like these that communication is crucial.” He said he hoped the Taiwan issue would be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

Nikkei said Takeo Akiba, secretary-general of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, and Chinese foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi held a seven-hour meeting Wednesday in Tianjin, China.

They confirmed the two nations would continue to hold a dialogue. Hayashi’s remarks on a potential summit likely reflected the progress made at this meeting.

Source: Voice of America

Excellencies, friends of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished colleagues,

I am pleased to welcome you to this afternoon’s briefing.

This activity is in line with the Government’s long-standing tradition of constructive dialogue and cooperation with the international community on human rights. This tradition of engagement is intrinsic to our value system as a Filipino nation, and has guided our pursuits in the regional and multilateral arena.

This dialogue and cooperation is evident also in ASEAN, where the Philippines continues to strengthen human rights promotion and protection in the work of the Community pillars and build bridges of trust and cooperation between our region and the UN human rights mechanisms and experts.

In the larger international community, the Philippines, a founding member of the UN, played a key constructive role in the trailblazing decades of norms-build up that led to the establishment of the Human Rights Council in 2006. In my role back then as Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, I had the privilege of chairing the negotiations on the Institution Building rules of procedure of the HRC. Sixteen years hence and five Council membership terms in between, the country’s track record speaks for itself in terms of contributing to advancing the cause of human rights.

Excellencies and Distinguished Colleagues,

Our recent general elections in May attest to the Filipino people’s commitment to the ideals of freedom and democracy. The elections posted the highest voter turnout in recent history at 83%; was conducted in a free, fair, orderly, and inclusive manner; and facilitated the unimpeded access of international observers to the whole process.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has signalled that he will continue to pursue a progressive human rights agenda. In his State of the Nation Address, the President outlined a forward-looking and people-centered national program for inclusive growth and sustainable development. This national program builds on the Philippines’ deeply-rooted and progressive human rights agenda, sustained over decades by successive political administrations.

This progressive human rights agenda frames the government’s positive and constructive multilateral and bilateral engagements and drives our active participation in human rights review processes, including on our compliance to human rights treaties. Two revalidas by the Philippines are taking place in the next two months, namely on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the on the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Preparations are also in full swing for our 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in November. We also look forward to receiving the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children in November this year and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression in 2023.

Excellencies and Distinguished Colleagues,

The Philippines’ tradition of constructive engagement marked a new milestone with the signing of the the UN Joint Program on Human Rights, or the UNJP, in July last year.

Since its launch, the UNJP has garnered broad support from government agencies, the Commission on Human Rights, the UN, the international community and stakeholders. We acknowledge with appreciation the goodwill of our funding partners. The Philippines itself has already allocated USD 200,000 to help fund the UNJP for fiscal year 2022, and plans to do so again in the succeeding years.

The UNJP breaks new ground as an innovative tool of multilateralism, providing a better option to the current fragmented UN approaches to human rights cooperation and politicized measures that rend trust and good faith.

It is holistic and synergistic as it is practical, as it bridges the human rights, development, and peace pillars of the UN. It pursues an inclusive multi-stakeholder approach, and demonstrates that with political will, new strategies can work to more meaningfully advance the UN development system.

In its essence, the UNJP embodies the vision of the UN Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human rights of a forward-looking and collaborative human rights agenda that pursues transformative solutions on the ground.

The Philippines has full faith in these efforts to restore confidence in the UN as a locus for positive transformation, and is invested in the success of the UNJP in sincere cooperation with partners in the UN system, states and other stakeholders.

The ultimate strength of the UNJP is that the commitments undertaken by the Philippines are not extraneous to but in fact are core to the functions of the government and to its programming. Thus, it has the highest degree of national ownership that is fundamental to its effectiveness and success.

In the span of a year, the UNJP has made significant headway in fostering collaborative partnerships in a broad spectrum of its target areas. These will be touched upon by our distinguished speakers.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Philippines’ historic high of voluntary contributions to the OHCHR in 2021 and 2022, in response to the call of the High Commissioner, recognizes that to transform multilateralism, we must collectively invest in institutional programmes and initiatives that underline the positive, the constructive, the transformative.

The landscape for pursuing effective multilateral action on human rights has become more exigent and demanding, with the more recent complexities of a pandemic, conflicts, and climate change bearing on our best intentions. Yet, you can rest assured that the Philippines will remain steadfast in its support for UN human rights institutions as this is driven by its aspiration to promote human rights and human dignity for all our peoples.

We count on your support in building on the momentum of the UNJP in expanding pathways for collaborative actions and transformative solutions.

Thank you.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

Excellencies,

Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my honor to have this dialogue with you today to reaffirm the commitment of the Department of Justice to constructive engagement with the international community in the areas of the rule of law, accountability, and human rights.

As underscored by Secretary Manalo, the country’s tradition of human rights engagement is long-standing and firmly-rooted.

This is true for my Department, the DOJ which prides itself on its long history of cooperation with bilateral and international partners including the European Union way back in 2006 on justice system reform programmes.

Through the European Union-Philippine Justice Support Program or EPJUST in 2006, the Philippines and EU engaged in various programmes towards the development of a justice sector strategy, the streamlining of case management processes, and the automation or digitization of case management systems, among others.

This joint partnership has since then expanded into the Governance in Justice Programme or GOJUST, Phases I and II to build on the positive developments particularly in the field of justice and human rights.

Under the current GOJUST II Programme, our government embarks to work on the following key result areas:

Improvement of justice sector coordination mechanisms;

Strengthening of the institutional efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of justice services;

Increasing access to the justice system for vulnerable groups, including women, and

Evidence-based justice policy and practice / that responds to justice needs.

Thus, the DOJ’s work in the context of the UNJP is not new but a reiteration and reaffirmation of our commitment to constant self-improvement in the area of strengthening domestic mechanisms and processes relating to the rule of law, accountability, and human rights.

When I took the helm of the DOJ last month, I bared plans to boost the efficiency of the country’s criminal justice system since I strongly believe that the certainty of punishment is key to minimizing criminality.

I have discussed with our Secretary of the Interior and Local Government some immediate measures that are meant to improve the way our criminal justice system works including close cooperation between our prosecutors and law enforcers as well as joint training and continuous learning programs for them in both remedial and substantive laws including on surveillance, procedures in conducting arrests, processing of crime scenes, and evidence preservation.

I also consulted with a prison reform expert regarding measures to introduce improvements to the corrections system in the Philippines.

Towards this end, the DOJ will be working closely with the Department of the Interior and Local Government on plans to decongest our prison facilities and to implement effective rehabilitation programs for persons deprived of liberty.

This will include the digitization of records to streamline information and to fast-track processes to facilitate the release of thousands of inmates.

The DOJ is also looking at moving some facilities of the Bureau of Corrections to decongest our prisons and to provide humane living conditions.

These priorities are fully consistent with the Government’s commitments under the UNJP. Since the UNJP’s launch last year, the DOJ continued to embark on inclusive consultations on the improved functioning of the AO35 Mechanism or the Inter-Agency Committee that addresses extra-legal killings and other grave violations of human rights.

As a result, the Operational Guidelines of AO35 has been updated and adopted following a series of consultations with relevant stakeholders including the Commission on Human Rights and civil society organizations.

Presently, the AO35 Technical Working Group is drafting a manual for investigators that is intended to enhance collaboration and to guide law enforcement officers on the effective implementation of the AO35 Operational Guidelines.

Training activities are regularly being undertaken as part of capacity building efforts. As of June 2022, a total of 188 prosecutors, law enforcement officers, military and Commission on Human Rights personnel had benefited from AO35 training activities in the first half of 2022 alone.

Further, preparations for the following programs and activities are currently underway:

Training on the Minnesota Protocol on Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death.

Together with foreign subject matter experts including Mr. Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or extralegal killings, a training program is currently being developed and tailored specifically for law enforcement officers and AO35 prosecutors who lead the Special Investigation Teams or SITs.

Creation of a sub-working group for victim support and rehabilitation.

The creation of this group is aimed to complement DOJ’s existing mandates and programs on witness protection and victim compensation. A trauma-informed approach is currently being considered as a basis for policy discussion and capacity building on victim and witness support.

Discussions on the creation of a National Referral Pathway on accountability that seeks to systematize and streamline complaint processes in order to facilitate investigations and to help direct the resources of government to addressing cases.

Certainly, it is an honor for me to assume my role as Co-Chair of the UN Joint Program Steering Committee together with the UN Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez.

I look forward to working with him and his team in the next couple of years in the implementation of the UNJP.

Once again, I thank you, Excellencies and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps for heeding the invitation and making time for this briefing.

We thank you, too for all your support to the Government of the Philippines along with meaningful and worthwhile partnerships and engagements that highlight our country’s strong commitment to promote and protect human rights, accountability, and the rule of law.

We shall definitely continue with these commitments and perhaps even with more vigor and enthusiasm as we remain steadfast in fulfilling our human rights obligations and commitments.

Thank you and good day.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

Secretary Manalo, Secretary Remulla, Excellencies, Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, colleagues in the Philippine government

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over the years, my office has often been mistaken for our independent national human rights institution, the Commission on Human Rights. While said commission has a mandate to monitor our entire bureaucracy, my office is specifically focused on the Executive department, making sure that bodies under it comply with human rights obligations pursuant to domestic laws and international human rights law.

My office is directly under the Office of the President, and the fact that our chairperson is no less than the Executive Secretary to the President, and I, as the head of its Secretariat, hold the rank of a vice minister attest to the seriousness that the State, specifically the Executive department, puts premium not only to its human rights obligations, but more importantly to human rights as a pillar of effective governance.

This afternoon, I will briefly add a bit more to what has already be presented by our good Secretaries, specific to the State’s reportorial commitments in the context of gathering, vetting and sharing accurate information with monitoring bodies; how the same information manifests the State’s respect for rights in the execution of relevant programs; and finally, how an enabling civic space flourishes in the Philippines and has driven State actions to address key social issues and problems.

A key function of my office is to oversee, coordinate, and monitor the implementation of the State’s international human rights obligations, being a State party to eight (8) core human rights conventions and their protocols. Secretary Manalo has cited a number of revalidas or constructive dialogues happening in the latter part of this year in fulfilment of the State’s compliance reporting obligations. Our office, in partnership with the DFA, is on top of preparations for these engagements.

But reporting is not confined to this system alone. We have introduced a novel mode in engaging with UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders on the side of sessions of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), now considered by many UN Special Rapporteurs (SRs) whom we have engaged as a best practice coming out of the Philippines. This involve Executive-type one-on-one sessions on key issues that are of particular interest to UNSRs at a given time. From 2019 to 2021 alone, the Philippines has had 31 engagements with UNSRs in this manner. And it was through this process that we were able to agree on country visits of two UNSRs.

In complying with its reporting obligations, such as through the revalidas and the UPR, accurate information-sharing is crucial.

It is for this reason that the Philippines has agreed to pilot, along with Malaysia and with the help of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), a digital tracking tool called the National Recommendations Tracking Database for the gathering, vetting, consolidating, and updating of all information on State human rights compliance. The revalidas and the UPR will be opportunities to test drive this database.

This database system is at the core of the NMIRF, or the National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-Up, a major deliverable of the UNJP Technical Working Group. My office co-chairs the NMIRF with the OHCHR, and its development is a product of a consultative process involving other government agencies, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), CSOs, and the OHCHR.

As sharing of accurate information is crucial in human rights reporting, our national police, through its human rights office which has presence in every police station – from the national down to the communities – has a program called HuRAISE, short for Human Rights Recording, Analysis, Information System, and Enforcement, for the collection of data on police personnel involved in human rights violations. The results of this program shall inform policies for continuing police reform. The UNJP has included this program as one of its key components.

Over and above this program lies the police human rights affairs offices’ continuing promotion of rights-based policing for its 227,000-strong police force. Between 2020 and June 2022, nearly 200 training and refresher workshops on various human rights and related subjects were conducted for police nationwide.

Accurate information -sharing is especially essential when we come across human rights issues that are often deemed contentious – not for lack of information, but for lack of appreciation of the information that we provide. One such issue concerns the Philippines’ anti-illegal drug campaign.

Contrary to allegations that the campaign is conducted roughshod, there is rationale in the Philippines’ anti-illegal drugs strategy called Rehabinasyon. Institutionalized in 2018, Rehabinasyon is a comprehensive approach to fight the scourge of illegal drugs encompassing enforcement, justice, rehabilitation, reintegration and advocacy.

To date, 63 accredited treatment and rehabilitation facilities have been set up, 58 of which are residential and 5 are out-patient facilities. Some 2,708 admissions were recorded in all these facilities.

Compared to cases of the previous years, there was a 14% increase in admission to these facilities, attributed to the resumption of operation of the rehabilitation centers and the willingness of drug users to undergo treatment and rehabilitation.

Efforts by the Philippine government in its anti-illegal drugs campaign have generated much international and regional support. Support grants are currently being programmed for relevant projects. In March 2021, the Philippines’ Dangerous Drugs Board signed the Memorandum of Agreement with 13 implementing agencies, spreading out a total amount of ?15.5 million pesos, or roughly US$300,000.

Every step that the Philippines takes in the anti-illegal drug campaign is made known to relevant international bodies. In October 2021, the Board spearheaded the 4th National Conference of the Association of Anti- Drug Abuse Coalitions. The country also continues to engage in policy discussions with the International Narcotics Board or INCB on our compliance to the three UN Drug Control Conventions.

A possible INCB Country Mission is part of these discussions.

Finally, let me talk about a very important component that defines Philippine advocacy on human rights. This is about the civic space in the Philippines we take so much pride in, but which some have maligned in international arenas as shrinking, oppressive, and unsafe. This is farthest from the truth.

Let me start off by saying that the Philippines has perhaps one of the most vibrant democracies in the world, from which can be measured how well people’s freedoms are exercised and their rights respected, protected and fulfilled.

The Philippines’ vast civic space is home to over 101,000 non-profit organizations of which 60,000 are NGOs actively engaged in various advocacies. In the last three years, many silent and unheard human rights defenders organizations have started making their presence felt in this civic space we speak of, traditionally dominated by organizations that have secured their places in international engagements, such as in the UN and with some European States.

No less than High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, in her report on the human rights situation in the Philippines in July 2020 recognized 893 written submissions, including joint submissions, and 793 communications that informed her report. A review of these sources confirmed that indeed organizations and community- based groups with important human rights advocacies, but which have been silent for years, have capacitated themselves within that civic space, all for the cause of advancing human rights in the Philippines.

Inspired by this development, the Philippine government, in December 2021, organized the first Philippine Human Rights Defenders National Assembly that sought to further empower grassroots and non-mainstream organizations. As a result of this nationwide assembly which was attended by representatives of foreign missions, UN human rights advisers, including the UNSR on the rights of human rights defenders, more than 100 CSOs and human rights defenders organizations (HRDO) were enabled to initiate their first-ever communications with the OHCHR at the height of the pandemic which manifested diverse and multifaceted perspectives informing the human rights situation of the Philippines, including their strong support for the UNJP.

And these are the same CSOs and HRDOs that strongly objected to a highly infirmed HRD Protection Bill which was crafted without any prior consultation. A human rights defenders bill is expected to be discussed, but it shall be the result of consultations within the flourishing civic space and respectful of the human rights principle of inclusive participation.

In the meantime, the Philippines’ media environment that prides itself with over 2,000 private media entities significantly reinforces the vibrant civic space we speak of.

Media Landscapes, a global watchdog established by the European Journalism Centre, in partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, noted that the Philippines has “roughly 40 national dailies (both broadsheets and tabloids), around 60 regional and community newspapers, and 14 newspapers in the foreign language other than English, mostly Chinese.”

2021 data from our National Telecommunications Commission – easily verifiable from open sources – reveal that there are 1,485 radio stations and 546 TV stations in the Philippines. In the meantime, the government only operates 34 media outlets consisting of 32 radio stations and 2 TV stations. It has no newspaper outfit.

Finally, there are two non- profit organizations in the country that represent the cable television industry namely: the Federation of International Cable TV and Telecommunications Association (PCTA) with about 350 members of small and medium cable operators, employing tens of thousands of media workers. Added to these are the tens of thousands of Filipinos using social media as a broadcasting platform such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Tiktok.

All of this clearly reflect the manner that press freedom is freely exercised, a reality that affirms – to reiterate – the vibrant and free civic space in the country.

But protection of media practitioners must underpin press freedom. And that is a clear State commitment. As of this year, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security oversaw a total of 52 court cases of killings involving media, some of which were not even work-related. All 52 cases resulted in a guilty verdict, with the conviction of 69 killers of media workers, which included 49 of those involved in the infamous Maguindanao massacre, most of them receiving life sentences.

A significant player in our civic space is the Commission on Human Rights which continues to be one of the strongest independent national human rights institutions in Asia and the world with its A-status accreditation. For FY 2022, the CHR’s approved budget of ? 958 million, or US$ 17.7 million, represented a threefold increase from its FY 2014 budget at ? 327 million, or US$ 6 million.

The CHR co-chairs with the OHCHR the UNJP TWG on civic engagement that discusses proposals on localizing HRD protection mechanisms and the convening of safe spaces for CSOs.

In all this, the Philippines has identified a major threat to the stability of civic space. Extremist violence and terrorism continue to wreak havoc in this same space, threatening people’s rights to life, liberty, security of persons and property.

The State, as the mandated human right duty bearer and protector of our people, is compelled to exert all necessary means to address extremist violence and terrorism.

In keeping with this role, the State has involved a wide-sector of stakeholders, including human rights defenders, civil society, and the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, in the crafting of its very own Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

Thus, this law can easily be distinguished from other anti -terror legislations around the world in that it is replete with human rights provisions such as specifying the role of the Commission on Human Rights within the law itself and provisions on respect for civil and political rights. All this because of a vibrant civic space where this law has been properly discussed with advocates from various sector who have the people’s interest in mind.

Inclusivity is a feature of the States’ pursuit of a human rights-based approach to counter-terrorism under the UN Joint Program.

The same inclusive approach is also what defines the whole-of-nation engagements of the NTF-ELCAC or the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, especially in its engagements with organizations representing mothers of disappeared children, and later found to have been recruited as child combatants, a reality noted by no less than the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children in Armed Conflict in their reports. Thus far, the State, through efforts of this Task Force, has been able to recover 450 children taken by violent extremists.

Finally, civic space has been made a platform of people, organizations and communities in the implementation of the Philippine Human Rights Plan in accord with the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of 1993. Our office is mandated to lead in the crafting of this plan, the third since 1995, which covers the State entire range of commitments based on the core international human rights treaties.

The national plan went through a tedious crafting process that involved civil society and NGOs. A mid-term assessment was held in 2020 through a process called Ugnayang Bayan, or a national congress that included representatives from the government’s three branches, Civil Society Groups, NGOs, UN Country Team representatives, and foreign missions. I believe most of the foreign missions represented here today participated as keen observers in that national gathering.

That is nothing less than a flourishing and vibrant civic space that will continue the advancement of human rights in the Philippines, and will likewise ensure the successful implementation of the UNJP.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

PASAY CITY — Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights at the virtual briefing for the diplomatic corps on 17 August 2022. He cited the leadership role of the Philippines in creating and nurturing platforms for human rights engagement in the ASEAN region and in the United Nations, and in “building bridges of trust and cooperation between our region and the UN human rights mechanisms and experts.”

The virtual briefing was organized by the DFA as part of the government’s regular updating on its human rights efforts. Secretary of Justice Jesus Crispin Remulla and Undersecretary Severo Catura of the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat (PHRCS) provided progress of commitments in the areas of good governance, accountability, and the rule of law in line with the UN Joint Program on Human Rights (UNJP), which was launched in July 2021.

Secretary Remulla underscored that the government will continue with its human rights commitments “ with even more vigor and enthusiasm.” He recounted, “When I took the helm of the DOJ last month, I bared plans to boost the efficiency of the country’s criminal justice system.”

He shared his discussion with DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos on immediate measures, including joint training and continuous learning programs for prosecutors and law enforcers in both remedial and substantive covering surveillance, procedures in conducting arrests, processing of crime scenes, and evidence preservation.

“The DOJ will be working closely with the DILG on plans to decongest our prison facilities and to implement effective rehabilitation programs for persons deprived of liberty,” according to Secretary Remulla.

As he pointed out how these priorities are fully consistent with commitments under the UNJP, he also cited milestones in strengthening investigative capacities and improved functioning of the AO 35 Mechanism or the Inter-Agency Committee that addresses extralegal killings and other grave violations of human rights.

Among the developments include a partnership with the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or extralegal killings on a training program on the Minnesota Protocol on Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death; the creation of a victim support and rehabilitation sub-working group with policy discussion and capacity-building based on trauma-informed approach; and discussions on the creation of a National Referral Pathway on accountability to streamline complaint processes and facilitate investigations.

PHRCS Undersecretary Catura highlighted that his office is focused on the Executive department, ensuring the compliance of all government bodies with the country’s human rights obligations pursuant to domestic laws and international human rights law. This, he pointed out, attests to the seriousness of the State in upholding human rights as a pillar of effective governance.

Undersecretary Catura stated that the line-up of major review processes on the Philippines in the next three months would be opportunities to test-drive the newly-created digital tracking tool for human rights recommendations coming from different UN mechanisms called the National Recommendations Tracking Database.

“The Philippines’ vast civic space is home to over 101,000 non-profit organizations of which 60,000 are NGOs actively engaged in various advocacies,” underlined Undersecretary Catura. “The media environment that prides itself with over 2,000 private media entities significantly reinforces the vibrant civic space we speak of.”

Two revalidas or constructive dialogue with Human Rights Treaty Bodies are taking place in September and October, namely on the country’s compliance to the conventions on the rights of the child and on the civil and political rights, respectively.

The Philippine government also shared that preparations are in full swing for its 4th cycle of the Universal Periodic Review in November, and that it looks forward to receiving the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children in November this year and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression in 2023.

In reference to the UNJP as a framework of technical cooperation on human rights, Secretary Manalo stated that its ultimate strength is that “the commitments undertaken by the Philippines under the UNJP are not extraneous to but in fact are core to the functions of the government and to its programming. Thus, it has the highest degree of national ownership that is fundamental to its effectiveness and success.”

“The UNJP breaks new ground as an innovative tool of multilateralism, providing a better option to the current fragmented UN approaches to human rights cooperation and to politicized measures that rend trust and good faith,” remarked Secretary Manalo.

Secretary Manalo underlined that the UNJP “is holistic and synergistic as it is practical, as it bridges the human rights, development, and peace pillars of the UN. It pursues an inclusive multi-stakeholder approach, and demonstrates that with political will, new strategies can work to more meaningfully advance the UN development system.”

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs

PARAÑAQUE CITY — The Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of Consular Affairs informs the public that Authentication Services in the CO NCR East (SM Megamall) will be temporarily unavailable starting 15 August 2022 onwards, until further notice.

Applicants applying for walk-in accommodation may be accommodated in DFA Aseana, Parañaque City.

For Applicants with scheduled online appointments in CO NCR East (SM Megamall) from 22 August to 30 September 2022, your appointment will be accommodated on the same date in DFA Aseana, D. Macapagal Blvd, Paranaque City between 08:00am – 04:00pm. Please bring your appointment confirmation and documents.

For inquiries, please feel free to reach out through email oca.apostilleconcerns@dfa.gov.ph.

Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs