Friday, December 19, 2008 Aussie gov't sets aside P2M for CHR improvement By Carlo P. Mallo
THE Australian government has vowed to help improve the capacity of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) here in the Philippines.
In a statement, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Rod Smith announced that Australia will give P2 million to help build the capacity of the country's Commission on Human Rights through a project dubbed as "Promoting Independent, Impartial, and Effective Investigation of Human Rights Violations."
"The Australian government, through our aid program managed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), is assisting partner governments to respect, protect, and fulfill their international human rights obligations," Smith said.
The offer came at a time when the communist rebel group is insisting that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration is the worst violator of human rights in the country.
At the same time, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Southern Mindanao urged the Filipino people to stand up and fight what it dubs as the "nefarious regime" of Arroyo. It said the present administration violates the human rights of hundreds of Filipinos through massive political killings occurring around the country.
The Australian government has a different view, saying both the Australian and Philippine governments recognize that respect for human rights is vital to poverty alleviation and sustainable development.
"Australia has a strong record in the protection and promotion of international human rights," Smith said.
The project will be funded through Australia's Human Rights Small Grants Scheme and will be implemented by The Asia Foundation. Through the project, the Australian government hopes to help build the capacity of investigators and medical doctors in the Philippine Commission on Human Rights to understand, gather, and use forensic evidence in investigating human rights violations.
Being one of the original 47 signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a leading proponent of the declaration's consistent and comprehensive implementation during the past 60 years, the Australian government has been strongly pushing for a more effective CHR here in the Philippines and in other countries.
One of the highlights of the project is the training in forensics that will enable the CHR to produce accurate investigation reports of human rights violations.
The project will also help facilitate better and increased coordination between CHR and the Department of Justice in preparing prosecution-ready human rights cases.
