PH reaffirms support for UN's Periodic Review of States' Human Rights record
Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador Evan P. Garcia constructively engages with countries during the 40th Session of the Universal Periodic Review. (Geneva PM photo)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 14 February 2022 – At the 40th Session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group (UPR 40) which was held from 24 January to 09 February 2022, the Philippines highlighted the need to step up efforts to further advance human rights promotion and protection especially of the vulnerable groups as it acknowledged the efforts made by States under review in implementing the accepted recommendations during the previous UPR cycle.
The countries reviewed in the session were Haiti, Iceland, Lithuania, Moldova, South Sudan, the Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Among the recommendations made by the Philippines at UPR 40 include those relating to gender equity and mainstreaming; human rights education and training; the rights of women, children, migrants, indigenous peoples, etc.; and combating hate speech, racial discrimination, gender-based violence, and human trafficking.
Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, underscored the importance accorded by the Philippines to the Universal Periodic Review. He added that the country is a proud donor to the UN Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the UPR. This fund aims to assist requesting countries in terms of technical cooperation or capacity-building to address their accepted UPR human rights recommendations.
In launching the UN Call to Action for Human Rights in 2020, the UN Secretary-General emphasized the need for UN Country Teams to maximize the use of the UPR in supporting progress by States on human rights as well as on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Established by UN General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006, the Universal Periodic Review is a State-driven process under the auspices of the Human Rights Council. It involves a unique peer review process of the human rights records of all UN Member States in an equal treatment. It is universal as it reviews all States in the world. The review encompasses all human rights – civil and political rights, social, economic and cultural rights, and the right to development.
With the conclusion of the UPR 40, the UN member states have completed the third cycle of the review of the human rights record of all 193 countries. The fourth cycle will start at the 41st Session of the UPR Working Group in October 2022. END
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