Philippine envoy elected VP of UN rights body

MANILA, Philippines — Evan Garcia, Philippine ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, was elected vice president of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In a statement, the DFA said Garcia was elected during the council’s meeting last Jan. 10.

He will represent the Asia-Pacific Group in the UNHRC bureau, the leadership body of the council.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the election of Garcia.

“Having Ambassador Garcia in the leadership body of the UN Human Rights Council is consistent with the Philippines’ long-standing policy of active engagement in the field of human rights,” he said.

“More importantly, this is a strong affirmation of the high regard and trust in the leadership of the Philippines in the field of human rights by the UN member-states, in general, and the 47 UNHRC member-states, in particular,” he added.

The UN Human Rights Council is the leading organ of the UN for the promotion, protection and fulfillment of human rights. It is composed of 47 UN member-states elected to serve in the council for a renewable term of three years.

The Philippines is finishing its term with the UNHRC this year, the DFA said.

Garcia earlier led the Philippine delegation during the UNHRC meeting in September in relation to the third Universal Periodic Review of the country’s human rights situation.

He delivered the Philippine statement rejecting 154 of 257 recommendations made by countries who took part in the review.

Among those that were rejected were recommendations to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings in relation to the Duterte government’s war against illegal drugs.