An international coalition to campaign for human rights and justice and to end impunity, was launched today during the International Conference on Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (ICHRPP) held at the Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon City.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) was one of the major achievements during the three-day international conference attended by more than 250 peace and human rights advocates from the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific and Australia.
An international coalition to campaign for human rights and justice and to end impunity, was launched today during the International Conference on Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (ICHRPP) held at the Great Eastern Hotel in Quezon City.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) was one of the major achievements during the three-day international conference attended by more than 250 peace and human rights advocates from the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific and Australia.
More than 50 organizations from all the major global regions have joined the international coalition and vowed to “campaign ang assist the Filipino people in their search for justice, hoping to bring their plight to the rest of the world, and in so doing, contribute to the realization of ganuine and lasting peace in the Philippines.”
The formation of the ICHRP was also the result of several years of campaigning by international solidarity groups for the Philippines calling for freedom for political prisoners, calling for an end to political killings and enforced disappearances, and militarization of rural communities.
The solidarity coalition also vowed to bring their lobby and advocacy work to the United Nations, national parliaments and other relevant international institutions and “to make the Macapagal Arroyo and BS Aquino regimes accountable for their crimes against the Filipino people”, and to mobilize the international community for human rights in the Philippines.
The ICHRP has elected a 11-person global council composed of prominent human rights and peace advocates, church leaders, jurists, lawyers, academics, journalists, and community leaders.
Prior to the international conference and the launching of the ICHRP, solidarity activists joined international fact-finding missions in Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Mindanao to investigate and document cases of human rights abuses and the people’s economic and social conditions.
The peace and human rights activists have also called on the Aquino government to immediately resume peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, and to respect previously signed agreements.
They are expected to participate at the people’s mobilization as counter to the State of the Nation Address of President Aquino on July 22 at the Philippine House of Representatives.###