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ASEAN council chair underscores need to strengthen commitment to UNDRIP

ILOILO CITY, March 9 (PNA) -- Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) underscored the need for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to strengthen their commitment to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).

At the sidelines of the 17th Asean Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Council Meeting that culminated here Thursday, Secretary Taguiwalo, who chairs the council, said that all ASEAN countries are signatory to the UNDRIP.

“The collective and inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples are enshrined in the UNDRIP,” she stressed.

However, she pointed out that the ASEAN-ASCC “itself has no declaration regarding IPs.”

“There are certain areas that need to be arrived at by consensus and no consensus has been arrived at so far,” she said.

She cited as reasons concerns on urbanization and development involving ancestral lands of IPs under displacement. This, she said, is very clear with the case of Lumads in the Philippines.

Also, some major development programs, such as in Indo-Chinese countries, impact on IPs and communities.

Nonetheless, she said that the Philippines can initiate the process through a consensus.

Ensuring the promotion and protection of the rights of the vulnerable sectors, to include among others the IPs, is among the initiatives being eyed by the Philippines to be carried out by the DSWD to achieve a people-oriented, people-centered ASEAN, which is one of the priorities of ASEAN 2017.

DSWD played host to the 22nd Senior Officials Committee for the ASCC (SOCA) meeting held backâ€"to-back with the 17th ASCC Council meeting that ended today. (PNA)
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