Secretary Locsin emphasizes formalization of documents in protecting child’s rights in ASEAN
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. delivers the Keynote Message during the ASEAN Dialogue on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child General Comments.
MANILA, 15 December 2021 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. called on stakeholders and child rights advocates to formalize documents and commitments towards the fullest realization of children’s rights in Southeast Asia region during the “ASEAN Dialogue on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) General Comments” held on 07 to 08 December 2021 in Makati and via videoconference.
Secretary Locsin also noted that ASEAN has come a long way in overcoming the obstacles to promoting awareness of the safety and welfare of every child.
During the two-day Dialogue, experts from various organizations presented salient points and features of General Comment Number 5 (2003) on general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Number 19 (2016) on public budgeting for the realization of children’s rights.
Philippine AICHR Representative and Assistant Secretary Jaime Victor B. Ledda called for AICHR to sustain the momentum in protecting and promoting the rights of peoples in ASEAN.
“Regardless of how challenging our task in AICHR might be, if it affects at least one person, if it uplifts the condition of even a single child, then that is more than enough reason for us to keep doing our work. Let us continue to tread the path that empowers children in understanding, attaining, and protecting their rights,” said by Assistant Secretary Ledda.
Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, former Philippine AICHR Representative, highlighted the recommendations of the 2019 Dialogue, including the creation of an intergovernmental body under ASEAN to push for the agenda on children’s rights.
The Dialogue, attended by more than 80 participants, was conducted by AICHR Philippines in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights South-East Asia Regional Office, and Child Rights Coalition Asia. It is a follow through on the ASEAN Dialogue on the UNCRC and its Related Instruments held last October 2018 and December 2019 in Manila. END
Temporary Representative of the Philippines to AICHR Jaime Victor B. Ledda highlights key points and recommendations of the two-day Dialogue in his closing remarks.
Former Representative of the Philippines to the AICHR Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso shares the key discussions during the 2019 Dialogue on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Participants and child advocates from ASEAN Member States representing the government, regional and international organizations, and civil society organizations discuss measures to protect children’s rights during the ASEAN Dialogue on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child General Comments.
Members of the Philippine Delegation during the ASEAN Dialogue on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child include (from left to right): Director Ivan Frank M. Olea, Ambassador Belinda M. Ante, Assistant Secretary Jaime Victor B. Ledda, Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Noel M. Novicio.
