The UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani, has urged the government of the Philippines to follow through on its commitments to assist IDPs.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani, has urged the Government of the Philippines to follow through on its commitments to assist IDPs. In July 2015, Mr. Beyani had an official 10-day visit to the Philippines, where he assessed the impact of all forms of internal displacement, including those caused by disasters, armed conflict, and development projects on the ancestral lands of indigenous people.
The UN expert praised the Government for its response to the massive internal displacement caused by Typhoon Haiyan, but expressed concern that “attention and resources appear to be waning before durable solutions are achieved, and some IDPs remain in dire situations.” In his visit to Tacloban, he welcomed significant progress in the provision of transitional and permanent housing to those affected, the restoration of livelihood opportunities, and policies such as “Build-Back-Better” aimed at mitigating the effects of future disasters. Nevertheless, Mr. Beyani was surprised that despite the huge resources spent or earmarked for infrastructure projects, basic service provisions such as water, sanitation, and electricity remain lacking for many displaced communities almost two years after Haiyan.
Mr. Beyani also urged the Government to rapidly take concrete steps to resolve problems, including adopting what would be a landmark law on the rights of IDPs following more than decade of deliberation. “An ‘almost law’ is no good as no law at all,” he said. “For a country prone to disasters and the displacement effects of long-standing conflicts, it is essential to enshrine the rights and protection of IDPs into law. Not to do so after a decade of debate sends a wrong signal about the Government’s commitment to ensuring respect for their rights and withholds essential legal protection from IDPs.”
The UN expert visited other regions of the country affected by displacement, particularly those caused by protracted conflict with non-State armed groups in various regions of Mindanao. He urged intensified efforts to achieve inclusive and lasting peace as an essential means of ending the conflicts which have displaced millions over the last four decades. “Conflict, militarization and displacement have become the common pattern in some localities and responses to conflict driven displacement crisis need to be more effective in some areas where they have gone from poor to almost non-existent,” Mr. Beyani said.
“Armed conflict or intrusive development projects not only displace indigenous peoples and subject them to conditions that may bring about their destruction as peoples, they also destroy their homes and livelihoods,” noted the rights expert, who also visited Tampakan, where a proposed open-pit gold and copper mine will potentially displace over 5000 people, the majority of whom are indigenous peoples. “They have an incalculable impact on their cultures and ways of life that are part of the rich and diverse heritage of the Philippines that must be protected or otherwise lost, perhaps forever,” he stressed. “Indigenous peoples struggle to survive away from their ancestral lands and require special protection including through the full implementation of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act.”
At the end of his visit, the Special Rapporteur thanked the Government for its cooperation with his mandate and is committed to continuing his constructive engagement with national authorities. He will produce a full report and recommendations based on his visit to be presented to the Government of the Philippines and the UN Human Rights Council in 2016. His full statement can be read here.
Mr. Chaloka Beyani, professor of international law at the London School of Economics, was appointed Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons by the Human Rights Council in September 2010. The Special Rapporteurs are part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
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