Philippines Welcomes Visit of UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights

IN PHOTO: (left) SR Ian Fry during his courtesy call on Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo (right) Representatives from various PH government agencies during an entry conference with SR Ian Fry (OPCD photos)

PASAY CITY 07 November 2023 – Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo and other Philippine government officials welcomed United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, Dr. Ian Fry, as he embarked on a 10-day official country visit from 06 to 15 November 2023.

On the first day of his country visit, Dr. Fry met with representatives from various Philippine government agencies in a conference at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Dr. Fry also met with Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources Maria Antonia Loyzaga and Secretary of Justice Jesus Crispin Remulla as he kicked off his visit which will take him across the country, including Manila, Valenzuela City, Leyte, and Iloilo City to hold dialogues with local government officials, the local community and civil society groups.

During Mr. Fry’s call on Secretary Manalo, the discussion focused on the Philippine support for the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, which was established by the Human Rights Council in 2021 following discussions on climate change and human rights in the Council that were shepherded by the Philippines, Vietnam and Bangladesh since 2009. Mr. Ian Fry was appointed as the first Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change in March 2022 and this is his third country visit following his visits to Bangladesh and Honduras.

Secretary Manalo underscored the priority that the Philippines attaches to climate action under the leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.. He cited the role of the Special Rapporteur in promoting informed global discussions and driving consensus on issues like climate finance, including loss-and-damage financing mechanism, which the Philippines has been pushing with other developing countries for some time now.

Secretary Manalo also highlighted Philippine leadership in championing climate justice, disaster risk resilience and climate adaptation, including through its participation in the advisory opinion proceedings by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and hosting of the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference in 2024.

Secretary Loyzaga and Secretary Remulla exchanged views with the UN Special Rapporteur on key features of the national policy framework and expressed the hope that Dr. Fry’s program would enable him to appreciate the Philippine government’s achievements and best practices in promoting and protecting human rights in the context of climate change.

Prior to his meetings with the members of Cabinet, the Special Rapporteur held an extensive dialogue with senior representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Justice (DOJ), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) who led the discussions on (1) loss and damage; (2) climate change displacement; (3) climate change litigation and intergenerational justice; (4) climate change and the protection of environmental human rights defenders; and (5) gender-response to climate change.

Dr. Fry also briefed the agencies about his work including on advocating for a new protocol to protect persons displaced as a result of climate change and reforming financing mechanisms to support mitigation and adaptation programs in countries least responsible for, but most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. He also shared insights about varying challenges and responses across the world that need to be scaled up to match the devastation caused by extreme weather and sea level rise as a result of global warming.

Mr. Fry is an international environmental law and policy expert. His focus has primarily focused on mitigation policies and loss and damage associated with the Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol and related instruments. He worked for the Tuvalu government for over 21 years and was appointed as their Ambassador for Climate Change and Environment in 2015-2019.

In all his official meetings, Mr. Fry received assurances of the Philippines support for his mandate and the success of his country visit.

UN Special Rapporteurs are independent experts. They are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to study and address various human rights issues, as well as provide advice and support to UN Member States. END