29 November 2002
The Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, will begin a visit to the Philippines on 2nd December in order to assess the situation concerning the country's indigenous peoples.
During this visit, which will last until 11th December, the Special Rapporteur will meet with senior government officials, indigenous peoples, NGOs, civil society organizations and a number of academics. Rodolfo Stavenhagen is particularly interested in the practical implementation of the Philippines’ 1997 Indigenous Rights Act. “I look forward to talking with the Government on the good progress they have made since 1997,” he said. “I also value the opportunity for constructive consultations with indigenous peoples themselves about the enjoyment of their rights.” The Special Rapporteur will also examine the impact of major development projects on the enjoyment of indigenous peoples’ rights and other human rights issues of concern to the Philippines indigenous peoples. He will undertake field trips to two different regions to meet and hear directly from indigenous peoples about their human rights situation.
The visit, which takes place at the invitation of the Philippine Government, is coordinated by UNDP Philippines, the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and a local indigenous organization, Indigenous Peoples’ International Center for Policy Research and Education (Tebtebba). This is the second official country mission of the Special Rapporteur since his mandate was established by the Commission on Human Rights in 2001. His first mission took him to Guatemala from 2 to 12 September of this year.
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur (2001/57) is “to gather, request, receive and exchange information and communications from all relevant sources, including governments, indigenous people themselves and their communities and organizations, on violations of their human rights and fundamental freedoms”; and “to formulate recommendations and proposals on appropriate measures and activities to prevent and remedy violations of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people”. As a crucial component of his mandate, he normally undertakes two country missions each year to report on specific country situations in various regions of the world.
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