The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will monitor the Philippines’ participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to ensure that the country fulfills its obligations as a member of the council.
“The Commission will monitor these pledges as we engage the Government and call on them to fulfill their obligations as a member of the council,” CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit said in a statement.
Gomez-Dumpit issued the statement after the Philippines was elected to be part of the UNHRC last Friday. The country received 165 of the 192 votes from the Council, making it part of the rights body during the UN General Assembly.
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Under UN General Resolution A/Reso/60/251, members of the Council are required to “uphold the highest standards in human rights promotion and protection and cooperate fully with the Council.”
Gomez-Dumpit also said that solving the human rights violations in the Philippines is still a long way to go, so the country’s to the UNHRC was “expected.”
“Much work needs to be done to address the continuing serious human rights violations in the country,” she said.
“The election of the Philippines was expected because the Asian group fielded as many candidates as there were seats in the Human Rights Council,” she added.
The Philippines is one of the 17 member-states which would serve a term in the UNHRC from 2018 to 2020. /ee