Philippines Presents 4th Human Rights Plan as Blueprint for Country-Led Partnerships at Human Rights Council
GENEVA 06 March 2025 – The Philippines underscored its commitment to advancing human rights through inclusive governance and country-led partnerships at a panel discussion on “The Fourth Philippine Human Rights Plan (PHRP4): A Call to Action, A Blueprint for Country-Led Partnerships,” held on the sidelines of the 58th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC58) in Geneva on 25 February 2025.
In his opening remarks, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Charles Jose stated that the PHRP4 is a roadmap for mainstreaming human rights in the Philippines’ national development agenda with special focus on providing the necessary protection and opportunities for advancement to individuals and groups in situations of vulnerability.
“The PHRP4 reinforces the Philippines’ role as a staunch partner in the Human Rights Council, ensuring that human rights remain at the center of national policies and programs,” Undersecretary Jose affirmed.
Undersecretary Severo Catura of the Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat (PHRCS) emphasized that the PHRP4 was crafted through an inclusive and participatory process involving 485 civil society organizations and over 500 individual grassroot stakeholders from across the Philippines and the Commission on Human Rights.
The Plan consists of eight chapters covering civil and political rights, economic and social rights, gender equality, child rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, elimination of racial discrimination, migrant workers’ rights, and the prohibition of torture and other inhumane treatment. These align with the core human rights treaties ratified by the Philippines.
The PHRP4 fulfills one of the three pledges made by the Philippine Government during the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Geneva in December 2023. “It is a call for action for governance that is firmly rooted on human rights and a nation that embraces and empowers all, especially the vulnerable and marginalized”, Undersecretary Catura added.
“The Philippines is investing in human rights and taking full ownership of continuing its efforts to further strengthen national human rights and accountability mechanisms. In implementing the Plan, the government will continue to engage external partners through concrete and cost-effective cooperative initiatives”, stressed Permanent Representative Carlos D. Sorreta who served as moderator.
Mr. Abner Manlapaz, co-founder of Life Haven Center for Independent Living and Senior Associate at the Center for Inclusive Policy, represented civil society and shared his experience and insights from his direct involvement in the crafting of the Plan.
“Moving forward, we call upon governments to deepen their collaboration with civil society, create enabling spaces for dialogue, and ensure that human rights remain a shared responsibility,” Mr. Manlapaz stated.
The side event, organized by the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and the PHRCS, was attended by representatives of states, international organizations, and civil society. It is in line with the country’s longstanding policy of active engagement in the Human Rights Council whose 58th Session runs from 24 February to 04 April 2025. END
(Left to right) Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Charles Jose, Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Carlos Sorreta, PHRCS Undersecretary Severo Catura, and Mr. Abner Manlapaz of Life Haven Center for Independent Living.
For more information, visit https://www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinGeneva/ or https://www.instagram.com/phingeneva/.