PH Reaffirms Commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
UN Photo by Manuel Elias
02 May 2017 NEW YORK – The Philippines participated in The High-Level Event of the General Assembly to mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recalling the key role played by the Philippines, through then Chief Justice and Permanent Representative Hilario Davide in facilitating the last stretch of negotiations that culminated in the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007.
Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr., recalled that Ambassador Davide accepted the task with thought of the Declaration’s impact on the millions of indigenous peoples of the Philippines and the hundreds of millions more around the world whose rights to their identity, distinct way of life, and traditional lands would finally gain recognition.
In his statement, Ambassador Locsin reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to implement the UNDRIP. He also highlighted the recognition given by the Philippines to its indigenous populations’ rights in the Philippine Constitution and domestic law, antedating the UNDRIP. The measures have been undertaken towards the full realization of the rights of Filipino indigenous peoples, such as policy emphasis on the protection of their rights in the Philippine Development Plan for 2017-2022 and the launch of the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Ethnography Program.
For more information, visit www.newyorkpm.dfa.gov.ph / www.un.int/philippines. END