Gov’t urged to support UN human rights resolution

MANILA, Philippines - Civil society groups are urging the government to support a resolution calling for a legally binding treaty on human rights and transnational corporations that was filed by a group of countries led by Ecuador in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

In a letter to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Ambassador Cecilia Rebong of the Philippine Permanent Mission in Geneva, the groups asked the government to demonstrate commitment to human rights at the June 2014 UNHRC session by supporting the resolution.

The resolution “seeks to begin a process of developing an international treaty on business and human rights – the first binding international legal instrument to hold corporations accountable for their human rights violations,” the groups said.

The groups, including Focus on the Global South, recalled that in 2011 the Philippines, as a member of the UNHRC, supported the adoption of the “UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations’ Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework” proposed by UN Special Representative John Ruggie.

The groups acknowledged the importance of the Ruggie Framework as it “affirms the obligation and primary responsibility of the State to protect and promote human rights and recognized that corporations have the responsibility as well to respect human rights,” said Joseph Purugganan, campaigner of Focus on the Global South.

This time, there is a need “to hold corporations accountable not only in the countries where they cause or contribute to violations, but also in other countries and internationally if required,” he noted.

“We ask the country, through our officials, to join the broad range of States that have already shown their support for progressing international law to address corporate human rights abuses, as shown during the September 2013 session of the Human Rights Council. Furthermore, (we) also ask the Philippine government to stand on the side of human rights against corporate human rights violations and the associated impunity that is all too often common to these abuses,” he added.

Earlier, the groups met with Commission on Human Rights Chairman Loretta Ann Rosales to get the support of the commission for national and international mechanisms to exact greater corporate accountability, particularly in the extractive industry and mining sector.

The groups are also pushing for a dialogue with the Department of Foreign Affairs prior to the departure of the Philippine delegation to the upcoming UNHRC session in Geneva.