In line with World Humanitarian Day, a landmark legislation that seeks to protect the rights and welfare of refugees and stateless persons has been filed in the Philippine House of Representatives, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
On 20 August 2024, House Bill 10799 or the Comprehensive Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Bill was filed at the House of Representatives.
House Bill No. 10799 aims to protect the rights and welfare of refugees and stateless persons.
House Bill No. 10799, filed by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, TINGOG Party List Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre, is in line with the Philippines’ well-known culture of bayanihan, the Filipino tradition of helping others, and malasakit (compassion). It aims to ensure the following steps towards the protection of refugees and stateless persons:
“With global forced displacement having reached 120 million as of May 2024, the work is cut out for all of humanity to provide opportunities for the forcibly displaced and stateless to belong and to contribute to society. UNHCR Philippines welcomes the filing of HB No. 10799 which in line with the observance of World Humanitarian Day. This bill is a significant contribution towards the strengthening of efforts to provide the forcibly displaced and persons who are stateless or at risk of statelessness with protection and access to their basic rights, in line with the call to #ActForHumanity,” said UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo.
The Philippines is no stranger to providing protection to people forced to flee due to conflict and persecution. With its favorable protection environment and strong humanitarian tradition, the country has historically welcomed nine (9) waves of refugees, starting with first wave of 800 White Russians in 1923, who came to the Philippines after they fled persecution from supporters of the Socialist Revolution of 1917 up until the East Timorese refugees in 2000. There are also currently 13 local government units (LGUs) in the country that have signed the Statement of Solidarity of the Cities #WithRefugees Campaign in support of ensuring inclusive societies around the world that welcome refugees.
One of a few countries in the Asia-Pacific region to become a State Party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and the first in Southeast Asia to ratify the 1954 Statelessness Convention and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the Philippines has adopted the Global Compact of Refugees in 2019 and made pledges in the Global Refugee Fora in 2019 and 2023.
In line with the Philippines’ commitments during the 2019 and 2023 Global Refugee Forum and 2019 High-Level Segment on Statelessness, the country has been steadfast in its efforts to ensure and promote inclusion of refugees and stateless persons in their policies, plans, and programs. HB No. 10799 would ensure an enabling environment and legal framework to protect and uphold their rights and ensure that there would be a dedicated office to handle and address their concerns.
HB No. 10799 will be deliberated in the House of Representatives along with HB No. 4561. Likewise, Senate Bill No. 2548 will be considered in the Senate of the Philippines.
Every year on 19 August World Humanitarian Day has been commemorated since 2008, five years after the fatal bomb attack that killed 22 humanitarian workers in Baghdad, Iraq on 19 August 2003.
The yearly observance focuses on a theme, with this year being #ActForHumanity.
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ABOUT UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We deliver life-saving assistance, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place called home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.
In the Philippines, UNHCR has maintained a presence for over 40 years, working on providing durable solutions to refugees, ending and reducing statelessness, and empowering displaced families.
For more information, please contact:
Karen Cepeda
External Relations Associate
[email protected]
(02) 88172398
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