15 March 2016 - Speaking at the High-Level Panel on the 50th Anniversary of Human Rights Covenants on March 01 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, underscored that the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remain to be the main pillars of the international human rights system.
The ICESCR and ICCPR comprehensively defined the civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights inherent to all human beings. “Without doubt, these two conventions are enduring legacies 50 years after their adoption,” Ambassador Rebong said.
The High Level Panel on the 50th Anniversary of Human Rights Covenants is a segment of the 31st Session of the UN Human Rights Council, which is currently meeting in Geneva from February 29 to March 24. The Philippines is one of the 47 member states of the UN Human Rights Council. END