On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day at December 10, the German Action Network Human Rights-Philippines releases the conference reader of its second human rights conference, which took place from June 29 to June 30 in Berlin.
The Conference with the title “Human Rights in the Philippines. Trends and Challenges under the Aquino Government” aimed to investigate the question whether the new Aquino administration succeeded in bringing about a real change in policy, stopping human rights crimes and coming to terms with the legal challenge of pursuing the human rights violations committed by the predecessor governments.
The contributions of renowned advocates of human rights, included in this conference reader, reveal the manifold and interdependent weaknesses of the Philippine political sector, legislative, judicial and executive power, which stand against a perceptible improvement of the human rights situation. The volume also summarizes the exciting discussions about approaches of action and possibilities to intervene and support at an international level. The final chapter contains the conference recommendations with worthwhile suggestions for more democracy and rule of law.
The speakers of the conference were, amongst others, Leila de Lima, Philippine Justice Secretary, Loretta Rosales, Chair of the Philippine Commission on Human Rights, several Human Rights Defenders from the Philippines as well as Markus Löning, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid.