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MANILA, Philippines?Dr. Purificacion Valera-Quisumbing, presidential envoy for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, was unanimously elected as Vice President of the Advisory Committee for the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last August 6, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Dr. Quisumbing?s election ?adds to her long list of accomplishments in the field of human rights among others, as chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, former president of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, and assistant secretary for human rights under the administration of the late President Corazon C. Aquino,? the DFA said in a statement.
The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee is the expert think-tank body of the Human Rights Council, of which the Philippines is a founding member.
The Advisory Committee, composed of 17 independent human rights experts from all geographic regions, conducts studies and accomplishes tasks given to it by the member-states of the Human Rights Council.
The DFA said that Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Erlinda F. Basilio served as Vice President of the Human Rights Council representing the Asian Group of states from June 2008 to June 2009.
Quisumbing said she was deeply honored to accept this important position. ?I feel it is fitting for the Philippines to be acknowledged as an advocate for human rights in the global arena. Tita Cory was a symbol of our national quest for justice and freedom, and we must remain true to her spirit and reverence for human rights,? she said.
One of the most significant tasks given to the Advisory Committee is the elaboration of a draft United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education.
The DFA said the Philippines played a leading role in this task, with Quisumbing?s inclusion as a member of the drafting group which was preparing the initial text for consideration of the Human Rights Council.
The Philippines is also a member of the cross-regional Platform for Human Rights Education and Training composed of delegations from Costa Rica, Italy, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland that supports the efforts of the Advisory Committee in preparing as draft UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training.
