Philippines Joins Countries’ Call for Professional Conduct, Good Faith and Impartiality of Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs and Experts
06 October 2017 GENEVA – The Philippine Mission in Geneva said that the Philippines joined countries that made the call at the Human Rights Council (HRC) for the Special Rapporteurs and independent experts to carry out their duties professionally, in good faith and impartially as they discharge their important responsibility to support the work of the Council in promoting human rights worldwide.
Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, said that “as a member of the Human Rights Council, the Philippines attaches high significance to the work of the Special Rapporteurs and independent experts and fully supports discussions to strengthen the integrity and credibility of the Special Procedures mechanism of the HRC.”
Nearly 80 independent human rights experts under the Special Procedures mechanism of the HRC assist the Council in monitoring human rights in different parts of the world and pushing for improved conditions, on the basis of their subject or country expertise. There is a Code of Conduct and a Manual of Operations that guide the conduct of their work.
States, however, have increasingly raised concerns that a number of Special Rapporteurs and independent experts have acted in violation of the spirit and letter of the Code of Conduct and Manual, which have undermined the credibility of the entire Special Procedures mechanism. These actions include Special Rapporteurs and independent experts going beyond their mandates, delivering politically biased and unsubstantiated public statements, and using uncorroborated, and sometimes false, information.
During the 36th session of the Human Rights Council which concluded on September 29 in Geneva, ASEAN member states and 18 like-minded states issued two separate joint statements calling for the Council to safeguard the credibility of the Special Procedures mechanisms, by ensuring adherence by the Special Rapporteurs and independent experts to the principles and standards prescribed in the Code of Conduct and Manual and by developing mechanisms of accountability.
The ASEAN statement delivered by Indonesia on 12 September 2017 emphasized that consent of member states, consultations, transparency and sincere dialogue in good faith are essential for Special Rapporteurs and independent experts in carrying out their mandates, and that reports should be balanced, taking into account not only NGO perspectives but government perspectives and the unique contexts and challenges of member-states.
Ambassador Garcia said that “by joining the almost 30 countries in these joint statements, the Philippines affirmed its commitment in strengthening the Council as a platform for constructive dialogue and cooperation to pursue the common goal of promoting and protecting the human rights of all peoples.” END