Tag: Economic and Social Rights
Asean free-trade pacts weak, ADB study says
BANDAR Seri Begawan—Free-trade agreements (FTAs) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) tend to be “weak” and could be distracting members from real economic reforms and regional integration, argued a study that reviews progress in the Asean Economic Community.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently published a collection of...
The Philippines: Human rights highlights
By Atty. Harry Roque Jr.
This will be an annual tradition. For as long as I have a column to write, I will devote my first column of the year to a summary of the highlights for human rights in the Philippines.
For the year 2013, here are what I consider...
Eastern Indonesia gives input on rights on land and housing
The United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) and its stakeholders shared experiences and lessons learned on the realization of rights on land and housing for people in disadvantaged areas in a working meeting held under a European Union Aid to Uprooted People (AUP) program on Wednesday.
In the meeting, representatives...
The Philippines: CHR calls for mandatory health warnings on cigarette packs
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday, January 20, called for the mandatory placement of graphic health warnings on cigarette packs emphasizing the public's right to information on health.
CHR commissioner Cecilia Rachel Quisumbing said everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for...
Philippine growth hit by high jobless rate
Unemployment rate in the Philippines stood at 7% despite the “robust” economic growth in the past two years, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in its Global Employment Trends 2014 report.
About 11% of the nation’s workers are classified under “extremely poor” or individuals living on less than $1.25 a...
ANZ monitors Cambodian sugar client accused of human rights abuses
ANZ says it is carefully monitoring the situation at a Cambodian sugar plantation linked to child labour, forced evictions and land grabs backed by the military.
The Financial Review is reporting that ANZ's Cambodian joint-venture, ANZ Royal Bank, is financing the Phnom Penh Sugar plantation in Cambodia, which has been...
Vo Van Ai sends Open Letter to the Vietnamese Government’s Delegation to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Vietnam
PARIS, 3 February 2014 (VIETNAM COMMITTEE) – In the run-up to the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Vietnam at the United Nation’s Human Rights Council on Wednesday 5 February, Open letters from very different personalities have called on the Vietnamese delegation to the UPR to candidly admit its...
CHR putting together ‘Martial Law Files’
MANILA, Philippines - The government has started documenting human rights violations during the martial law years under dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The government of Switzerland and the Swiss Peace Foundation are assisting the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in the documentation of human rights violations during martial law. Among other...
Thai Government ‘Lacks Interest’ in Solving Burma Migrant Labor Abuse
Allegations of serious violations of labor and human rights have been made against four factories in Thailand that employ many thousands of Burmese. One of the firms is involved in the manufacture of famous international fruit juice brands.
The allegations, made by the Helsinki-based corporate responsibility advocacy group Finnwatch, involve...
Human Rights Institutions Pledge Support for Efforts to End Leprosy-related Discrimination
Global Appeal 2014 to End Stigma and Discrimination against People Affected by Leprosy was launched in Jakarta, Indonesia, on January 27, endorsed by national human rights institutions from 39 countries and regions.
India, Brazil and Indonesia, which together contribute the most cases of leprosy in the world, were among those...
