The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR) and the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (NHRC Nepal) met Tuesday, 18 June 2019, to strengthen cooperation and discuss common initiatives on human rights protection particularly in the context of migration.

During the opening ceremony for the 3-day visit of the NHRC Nepal held at the CHR Central Office, CHR Chairperson Chito Gascon mentioned the common issues and other matters that CHR and NHRC Nepal share particularly on being an “A” status National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) and having both signed cooperation agreements with the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar (NHRC Qatar).

“With our common experiences and issues, we need to discuss strategies so our people are protected. We know that it’s one thing to have something on paper versus the day-to-day context of the people we seek to protect and defend. Let’s work together so we can demand and follow through with commitments and hold people to account,” Chairperson Gascon said.

He added that among the common approaches that can be explored are mechanisms of sharing information, quick response and urgent alerts, including avenues of partnerships.

In response, Honorable Commissioner Sudip Pathak of NHRC Nepal expressed their country’s interest in strengthening cooperation particularly in protecting migrant rights.

“We are very much sincere in protecting migrant rights. We hope that we will develop our relation in these areas. We want to work with you in developing protection mechanisms in collaboration with government and civil society, he said.

In addition, Honorable Commissioner Pathak expressed their intent to share Nepal’s experience and practices particularly in implementing their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NHRC Qatar as well as their eagerness to learn about the best practices of the CHR in the protection and promotion of human rights given its current challenging context.

The NHRC Nepal signed an MOU with NHRC Qatar in 2015 and an activation plan of the MOU in 2016, while the CHR signed a Cooperation Agreement with the latter in January 2019. NHRC Qatar holds leadership positions in the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF). Hence, learning from the experience of Nepal on their MOU implementation shall be helpful in ensuring that CHR’s agreement with NHRC Qatar will yield positive impact to the lives and rights of overseas Filipino workers and their families.

CHR Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana, focal commissioner for migrant rights, expressed her hope to have an MOU with NHRC Nepal and reiterated the CHR’s interest to learn about Nepal’s engagement with Qatar.

“We want to hear more about the implementation of your agreement with NHRC Qatar. We also hope that at the end your visit, we would be able to come up with an MOU to solidify our partnership,” she said.

It is expected that the meeting will help strengthen bilateral cooperation between the CHR and NHRC Nepal, ensure coordination as regards migration and human rights, and forge stronger mechanisms for human rights protection in coordination with NHRI networks. ■