Human Rights Commission

The conclusion ceremony of the bilateral project between the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines and the NZ Human Rights Commission took place in Manila today.

Read Rosslyn Noonan’s speech below, delivered at the closing programme.

Find out more about the bilateral partnership between the two human rights commissions or read the booklet which was presented at this ceremony, Building Human Rights Communities (PDF).

Closing programme – Manila, Monday 21 March 2011

Greetings

Piki mai, kake mai, haere mai
Haere mai ki tenei Poroporaki
Rau Rangatira ma tena koutou katoa
E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu
Tena koutou
Nga mate, nga aitua
Haere, haere, haere
Me nga hunga ora, tena koutou
Nga mihi tino mahana ki a koutou
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Magandang Umaga Po

Ahap Subuh ma kitam kamemon

Madagway ha masulom

Mayat Ay Agsapa Tako Amin

Madame Loretta Rosales, Panglima, Datu, Your Worship the Mayor, Elders, leaders and community members of the Kankana-ey, the Higaonon, the Sama Dilaut

Distinguished representatives of the many agencies of the Philippines State and Members of civil society groups and organisations who have worked with us in so many ways throughout this project.

Members of the diplomatic community and especially Andy White, representative of the New Zealand Ambassador, and

Prof Virginia Dandan, Dr Jill Chrisp and Te Huia Bill Hamilton the inspirational leaders of our project and to the wonderful members of their teams, from the national and regional offices of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines and the Auckland and Wellington offices of the New Zealand Commission.

Warmest greetings

Acknowledging those who  have gone before us.

Today is a day of celebration but as is traditional Maori custom when we meet on such auspicious circumstances I have acknowledged those who have gone before us, and those who have recently been lost to us. I think of those in both countries who over past generations have campaigned for human rights and justice, who have all too often been persecuted for their beliefs and on whose courage and achievements we seek to build today. I think also of the fragility of our islands and yours to the forces of nature. Indeed over the period of this project and especially in the last few months both New Zealand and the Philippines have experienced major natural disasters:  communities have been damaged, even destroyed and lives lost.

Celebrating a human rights community development journey

I am here today to celebrate with you the journey and achievements of the Kanakana-ey of Kibungan, the Higaonon of Esperanza and the Sama Dilaut who committed in 2008 to working with the Human Rights Commissions of the Philippines and New Zealand to build human rights communities within their ancestral lands

Acknowledgements

Many, many people have contributed to that journey.

I acknowledge and thank

• the agencies of the State, the officials of local and national government who engaged with the project and through the process built their own understanding and practice of what it means day to day, in often difficult circumstances and with conflicting pressures, to truly respect the human rights of Indigenous peoples in ways that recognise that these most marginalised of communities are as much entitled to dignity, equality and security as every other Filipino. We greatly appreciated the practical support provided by a number of agencies
• thanks are due too, to civil society organisations who, from the very earliest days, when the Commissions were exploring what should be the focus of the project, generously shared their knowledge, understandings and experience and have continued contributing in so many ways to the delivery of the project.

This has been a project about strengthening human rights at the grass roots and yet it illustrates compellingly the increasing recognition worldwide, that where human rights are denied poverty, violence and terrorism flourish; that human rights violations within national boundaries threaten peace, stability and sustainable development beyond those national borders; and that States have a responsibility to support each other to make human rights real for everyone, everywhere.

And so I acknowledge the initiative of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Prime Minister Helen Clark in asking their national human rights institutions to work together to improve human rights in the Philippines, and then leaving us to work completely independently, while providing funding through the New Zealand aid Programme.

The international community has contributed in a number of ways and inter-governmental organisations such as the ILO have shared their expertise and experience, and affirmed what we were doing.

The partnership between our two Commissions has been at the heart of the project from the very beginning. I want to acknowledge the three Chairpeople who have shared with me ultimate responsibility for the project:

• Purificacion Quisumbing, during whose term the project was initiated and one of whose greatest contributions was to identify the extraordinary Professor Virginia Dandan as Philippines project manager
• Leila de Lima, under whose leadership the project flourished; and now
• Etta Rosales, who has seen the project to a successful conclusion and who, most significantly, has committed to continued engagement with the three communities and to extending the approach to other Indigenous communities.

Chairs de Lima and Rosales accorded responsibility for the project to Commissioner Jose Manuel Mamauag – a key figure, first as a regional director and then as Commissioner, since its inception.

The project has involved staff of the Philippines Commission at every level. Despite the many challenges the Commission has faced throughout the project, the support of Executive Director Jake Meija and the members of the Commission’s directorate has been unswerving. The project would never have succeeded without the courage, commitment and expertise of the three regional teams, involving the three regional leaders and the field officers assigned to the project. They built and maintained the crucial local relationships; persevered despite sometime threats to their safety and considerable physical hardship. In addition to the regional staff, national office administrators have supported the project with great warmth and energy and the wonderful occasion we are enjoying today is evidence of their skills.

The project has been co-managed by Professor Virginia Dandan for the Philippines Commission and by Dr Jill Chrisp and Te Huia Bill Hamilton for the New Zealand Commission. They are the ones who have developed and nurtured this truly innovative project, demonstrating beyond doubt the value of the human rights community development approach, and the impact it can have in strengthening civil and political as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Our Commissions have been blessed to have people of their quality to draw on.

Ultimately, however, the heroes of this project are the elders, leaders and members of the communities themselves. It is they who have confronted the immense issues oppressing their peoples; they who have implemented strategies to deal with their prioritised human rights issues and they who, in just two and a half short years, have begun to see practical results in their communities and for their peoples. The evaluation of the project records increased safety; reductions in violence including within the communities against women and children; improvements in economic opportunities; and the addressing of water, health and education issues amongst others. Each community has developed the confidence to engage with the government authorities and to insist on participating in the decisions that impact on them.

Madame Rosales, the New Zealand Commission has been immensely enriched by our partnership with your Commission. We have learnt much from our engagement with your staff and with the communities of Kankana–ey, Higaonon and Sama Dilaut,and what we have learnt has been reflected in how we are working with our diverse communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For me personally it has been an immense privilege to be welcomed into Kankana-ey and Sama Dilaut/Bajau communities and to have had the opportunity to meet Higaonon elders here in Manila.

It is therefore with great admiration and respect for all those who have contributed to this work that I present you with this account of the project, so that we may celebrate what has been achieved, continue to learn from it and commit to building on it.

I hand it to you, I must admit with a tinge of sadness that our partnership in this project is ending. But my sadness is relieved by the knowledge that the future of this work is safe in your hands, that the Philippines Commission is committed to continuing the relationship with the three communities and that you will have the support of Aus Aid and the Australian Human Rights Commission to expand the human rights community development approach into other Indigenous communities.

On behalf of the New Zealand Human Rights Commission I offer our continuing support in whatever way you may deem appropriate.

Madame Rosales, Panglima, Datu, Mayor, Elders, distinguished guests, friends and colleagues I hand this record of our project to you with a Maori blessing:

Kia hora te marino,
kia whakapapa pounamu te moana,kia tere te kārohirohi i mua i tō huarahi.

May peace be widespread, may the sea glisten like greenstone, and may the shimmer of light guide you on your way.

Rosslyn Noonan
Chief Commissioner
Te Amokapua