APF lends support to Philippines Commission

With leadership of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) set to change hands in May 2015, the APF is working with the outgoing Chairperson and Commissioners to identify a number of strategic priorities to support the next phase of the CHRP's development.

The focus is to assess the progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations from the capacity assessment program undertaken with the CHRP in July 2012, as well as to better understand the challenges the CHRP has faced in implementing some of the recommendations.

The APF is undertaking this review in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The current CHRP Chairperson and Commissioners end their term of office on 5 May 2015. The CHRP's current Strategic Plan will also end in 2015.

"This review is a valuable opportunity to capture the experience and insights of the current Chair and Commissioners, especially their recent efforts to strengthen the mandate of the CHRP," said Kieren Fitzpatrick, Director of the APF secretariat.

"A key priority for the incoming Commissioners will be to develop a new strategic plan within a relatively short space of time, which will make the information gathered through this review a valuable source of practical guidance," he said.

In addition, the review will help build a fuller picture for the APF, UNDP and OHCHR of the impact of the capacity assessment process within those national human rights institutions (NHRIs) that have taken part in the process.

Since 2008, capacity assessments have been conducted with 17 APF member institutions.

"Unlike evaluations done by people external to the organisation, the program uses a self-assessment approach to draw on the expertise and insights of those within the NHRI," said Mr Fitzpatrick.

"It is also a forward-looking exercise, which examines both the current capacities of the NHRI and those that need to be developed or strengthened over the following five year period."

The focus of the capacity assessment process is to support NHRIs to assess their institutional and organisational capacities and their ability to effectively fulfil their mandate to promote and protect rights at the national level.

Date: 23 April 2015