PH Presides United Nations’ Meeting as Vice-President of the Human Rights Council 

Ambassador Evan P. Garcia (2nd from right) presides over the plenary meeting of the Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group reviewing the human rights records of Botswana.

24 January 2018 GENEVA – Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, in his capacity as Vice President of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (UN-HRC) Bureau, presided the 5th meeting of the ongoing 29th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) held on 17 January in Geneva.  The meeting reviewed the human rights record of Botswana.

Ambassador Garcia represents the Asia Pacific Group (APG) in the Human Rights Council Bureau, the leadership body of the UN-HRC. The election of the Philippines as one of the five members of the HRC Bureau formalized and confirmed the unanimous decision of the Asia Pacific Group that nominated Ambassador Garcia to the position.  He was elected by consensus by the 47 members States of the UN-HRC during the Organizational Meeting of the Council held on 10 January. 

“I am very grateful and honored for this opportunity that the international community has given to the Philippines,” Ambassador Garcia remarked.  This development is consistent with Philippines’ long standing policy of active engagement in the field of human rights, in general, and at the UN-HRC, in particular.  This also strongly affirms the high regard and trust in the leadership of the Philippines in the field of human rights by the UN member states.

The Philippines assumed the position for the entire year of 2018. The 12th cycle of the HRC Bureau is composed of H.E. Mr. Vojislav Šuc (Slovenia for the East European Group) as President, and four Vice Presidents, namely, H.E. Mr. Evan P. Garcia (Philippines for the Asia Pacific Group), H.E. Mr. François Xavier Ngarambe (Rwanda for the African Group), H.E. Mme. Marta Maurás Perez (Chile for Latin American and Caribbean Group/GRULAC), and H.E. Mme. Antje Leendertse (Germany for the Western European and Other Group).

This is the second time that a Philippine Ambassador was elected as HRC Vice-President; the first one was during the term of Ambassador Erlinda F. Basilio, former Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva, during the 3rd cycle of the HRC in 2008-2009. END

For more information, visit www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/genevapcg.

Ambassador Evan P. Garcia (center) delivered the first statement of the Philippines

as HRC Bureau Vice President during the UPR of France,  which was held on 15 January 2018 at the HRC Chamber at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.