PH Envoy Reaffirms Support to UN Human Rights Office at Presentation of the United Nations Human Rights Report for 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland

Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations, H.E. Evan P. Garcia, reaffirmed the Philippine Government’s support for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) (Geneva PM photo)

GENEVA 19 June 2023 – Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations, H.E. Evan P. Garcia, reaffirmed the Philippine Government’s support for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the primary United Nations agency mandated to promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights, at the presentation of the United Nations Human Rights Report for 2022 by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk, held on 14 June 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Amb. Garcia noted positively the projects undertaken by the OHCHR in the area of climate change, including the first Asia Regional Dialogue on Climate Justice for Children, the Youth and Future Generation, expressing hope that more of this will be conducted to reaffirm the importance of equity and climate justice as foundational principles for any discussions and actions related to the worsening climate crisis.

He welcomed the attention given to the technology-human rights nexus, the new frontier in human rights norms-building where the OHCHR’s institutional weight and expertise is needed to ensure that new norms will not aggravate the widening development and technological divide globally. “Inclusion and representation, especially of those in the margins of society, must be upheld in global norms-building so that no one nor country is left behind as the Fourth Industrial Revolution further unfolds”, he added.

Amb. Garcia also called on the OHCHR to continue meaningful and constructive engagement with governments, through its technical assistance and capacity-building mandate, to support and encourage national ownership of initiatives aimed at strengthening domestic human rights mechanisms 

“The Philippines values the work of the OHCHR and, as such, has and will continue to contribute to its voluntary funds”, Ambassador Garcia added. The Philippines contributes to the OHCHR’s Voluntary Funds for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights, Indigenous Peoples, and Financial and Technical Assistance for the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review. END

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