43rd Human Rights Council Session
17 June 2020
Item 10: General Debate on Technical Cooperation
Speaking time: 2 min. 30 sec.
Thank you, Madam President.
There has been little dispute about technical cooperation as an important aspect of the work of the Council and the OHCHR that advances in the most concrete terms our shared goal to promote and protect human rights.
We welcome the focus duly given by the OHCHR to technical cooperation and to forging partnerships with countries in this regard. We join calls for this focus to be sustained in the face of budget constraints.
We believe that this focus should be reflected accordingly and clearly, in the budget and program of the OHCHR, in terms of prioritizing and allocating resources, and in its methodological approaches in the conduct of its mandates, including in thematic reports and reports on country situations. We also support directions towards mainstreaming this function in the work of the Special Procedures.
We recall the High Commissioner’s commitment to put emphasis on technical cooperation and "practical, actionable solutions based on sound human rights norms”.
Pursuing constructive multilateralism on human rights require that we optimize UN resources and presence on the ground to strengthen national and regional capacities, using tested policy tools and entry points, including the UPR and the implementation of the SDG 2030 agenda. In all instances, effective technical cooperation must take into account the consent of states, in accordance with needs and priorities as determined by them.
The Human Rights Advisers deployed to assist the UN country team in various parts of the world facilitate the mainstreaming of human rights perspective in national development programs. This is true for the Philippines, where the UN system is actively supported by a Human Rights Adviser, who fully enjoys the cooperation of the Philippine government.
In closing, my delegation wishes to reiterate the Philippines’ high regard for non-politicized and transformative technical cooperation. This is reflected in the government’s continued engagement in good faith with the UN system and international partners on various areas of human rights, from SDGs to IHL, to the enhancement of rule of law and accountability systems in the country.
Thank you, Madam President.