Filipina heads UN human rights advisory body

MANILA, Philippines—A Filipino authority on human rights has been unanimously elected chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council this week in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that Dr. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing will preside over the Advisory Committee, which is composed of 18 independent experts from different regions of the world, and functions as the think tank of the UN Human Rights Council.

"It is a great honor to serve as chair of the Advisory Committee. I am humbled by the confidence my highly esteemed colleagues have placed in me," Quisumbing said in a statement released by the DFA.

In her opening statement, Quisumbing recalled her stint as chair of the former UN Commission on Human Rights (the predecessor of the Human Rights Council) in 1990, while she was assistant secretary for human rights under the administration of the late Corazon C. Aquino.

The Philippines’ permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Evan P. Garcia, immediately congratulated Quisumbing on her election.

During its fifth session, the Advisory Committee will be working on topics of importance to the Philippines, such as the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy; missing persons; the right to food; the right of people to peace; enhancement of international cooperation on human rights; and human rights education and training.

The Philippines is particularly active in the Human Rights Council in promoting human rights education and training, where it currently co-chairs negotiations on the draft UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training. - Cynthia Balana, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Posted date: August 07, 2010