Dr. Jochen Motte was a representative of the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) and co-founder of the Action Network Human Rights – Philippines (AMP) in 2007, as well as a long-standing and valued colleague. He passed away on January 8 after a long illness.
With his committed, clear, and decisive manner, he shaped the development and ongoing work of the Action Network for over 17 years and campaigned for the protection of human rights in the Philippines. In doing so, he repeatedly focused attention on those affected and sought to build bridges between political decision-makers and civil society actors in various ways. The goal was always to strengthen the protection of human rights defenders on the ground and to improve the human rights situation in the Philippines through political pressure.
Jochen was a reliable figure in the fight for human rights, passionate in his commitment, critical in his analysis and perspective, and skilled in developing strategies and contacts to keep human rights on the agenda even when political decision-makers seemed to have lost interest. To achieve that one has to be persistent, firm, and diplomatic, able to stand one’s ground and cooperative at the same time. Jochen was all of these things.
We mourn the loss of our colleague, advisor, and human rights activist, Dr. Jochen Motte, and send our condolences to his family, relatives, friends, and colleagues. We will miss him.
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