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Human Rights
FNF's Collaboration in LGU Caraga: Advancing Human Rights and Access to Justice

1.9 Minutes
Pie Escobar
  Pie Escobar
CHR representative

CHR Caraga Representative discusses about human rights promotion and safeguarding.

© CHR Caraga

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Philippines continues its partnership with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Caraga to advance human rights promotion and safeguarding.

Their primary initiative, launched last year, focuses on integrating human rights, the rule of law, and access to justice by establishing and enhancing Human Rights Action Centers (HRACs) across the Caraga region. These HRACs within LGUs aim to empower marginalized groups by addressing their human rights and gender concerns and ensuring equitable access to justice. Strengthening LGUs enables the project to further its goals of promoting and protecting human rights, gender equality, and democracy.

Currently, the notable milestones of the project include the issuance of Joint Regional Memorandum Circular No.1 Series of 2024 on January 30, 2024, formalizing the creation of HRACs at the local level. Additionally, a memorandum released on February 19, 2024, outlined the training schedule for pilot areas, which took place throughout April in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Dinagat Islands. These trainings focused on the creation of a human rights committee as one of the standing committees in the local Sanggunian and the passing of an ordinance or executive director creating HRACs.

CHR participants

Participants of the Capacity Development Sessions in one of the pilot LGU areas. 

© CHR Caraga

Capacity development, through workshops and information sessions helped the participants learn how to draft barangay, provincial, and municipal ordinances, along with compliance and status report forms.

The upcoming Post-Implementation Meeting, which will also be supported by FNF on May 24, 2024, in Butuan, marks the next phase of the project.

This endeavor signifies the importance FNF puts on the promotion and protection of human rights, especially in places outside of Metro Manila. The organization hopes that through this partnership with CHR Caraga, more LGUs will institutionalize human rights protection mechanisms for the people of Caraga.

This article is written by Pie Escobar, the Communication Officer for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Philippine Office