21 May 2021, Geneva, Switzerland -  At the 21st Session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development which was held from 17 to 21 May 2021, the Philippines re-affirmed its support for the process of drafting a convention on the right to development.

Ambassador Evan P. Garcia, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva cited the Philippines´ consistent support in the international and multilateral such as in the Human Rights Council for efforts to foster greater acceptance and operationalization of the right to development.
“We acknowledge in this regard the valuable contributions made by the mandates of the Expert Mechanism and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development in promoting the implementation of this rights worldwide,” stated Ambassador Garcia.

Ambassador Garcia also stressed how the advocacy for the right to development finds full expression in Philippine policies and planning process in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and cited how two important planning documents, namely Ambisyon Natin 2040 and the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, integrate human rights-based approach as well as sustainability and inclusivity as both goals and principles that guide national development strategies.

The Philippines acknowledged certain key characteristics of the draft convention. This includes, among others, the recognition of the obligation of everyone, whether State or non-state actors, to respect the human rights of others; the recognition of different vulnerability status of stakeholders and levels of development among States; and the duty of States to cooperate with each other to eliminate obstacles to development.

The Intergovernmental Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Development was set up in 1998 with the aim to monitor and review progress on the implementation of the right to development as elaborated in the UN Declaration on the Right to Development and to suggest possible related technical assistance programs at the request of interested countries. END.