1. U N I T E D N A T I O N S S Y S T E M P H I L I P P I N E S February 2011
“Shoah in Europe” Travelling Exhibit opens in Manila
(Above, L-R: Lee Blumenthal, boardmember of the Jewish Association of the Philippines; UNIC Manila NIO Teresa Debuque;
Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales; Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda
Basilio; Ambassador Zvi Aviner Vapni, Embassy of the State of Israel; UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock)
The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Manila, Dr. Badcock said that “the images portrayed in this ex-
in partnership with the Jewish Association of the Phil- hibit recall a period in human history that is too painful,
ippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and and too terrible for words. Yet, we remember the Holo-
the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost), launched caust because it is a constant reminder of a grave and
the Manila opening of the “Shoah in Europe” Travelling terrible injustice that an earlier generation had made
Exhibit last February 9, 2011 at the lobby of the DFA and one which we, of this generation and the next, must
Building along Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City. The exhibit at all costs prevent from ever being made again.”
opening drew close to 200 guests from the partner or-
ganizations, various civil society groups, and the Jewish Ambassador Vapni said that there are three reasons for
community in the Philippines. remembering the Holocaust, “First of all, for the sake of
those who lost their lives: entire villages, entire commu-
Keynote messages were delivered by UN Resident nities, and entire families have been erased to the point
Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock; His Excellency Zvi that you can’t even name the people that have been
Aviner Vapni, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the killed. So our first responsibility is to these unnamed
Philippines; and DFA Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio. victims, to keep some kind of remnant of their existence.

2. Commission on Human Rights, of
which I have the privilege to chair
today, is the result of that experi-
ence, along with the 1987 Consti-
tution that gives it its mandate and
sets out the whole gamut of human
rights that the Philippine state is
supposed to promote, protect and
fulfill for the Filipino people.”
“I feel a special bond with the
victims of the Holocaust,” Chair-
person Rosales added, “because
I was also a victim of the Marcos
dictatorship. I know what it means
to be at the receiving end of state
repression while fighting for free-
dom, justice and human rights. I
was detained and tortured, along
(Above: Ribbon cutting presided by (from left to right) Deputy Post-Master General Luis Car- with so many others resisting the
los; Ambassador Vapni; DFA Undersecretary Basilio; and Dr. Badcock) dictatorship. The lessons from these
two events, the Holocaust that the
The second reason is to confront the dark side of human- Jewish people suffered in Europe during the war and the
ity. The people who stood guard at the extermination gross human rights violations that the Filipino people suf-
camps, the death camps, the people who committed those fered during the dictatorship, are the two guiding inspira-
horrible atrocities were also human. We should acknowl- tions that infuse both the institution that I now head and
edge this dark side that dwells in all of us as a warning of my life ast a human rights advocate and defender and that
what we are capable of. The third reason is to make sure will continue to inspire me to my last breath.”
that tragedies such as the Holocaust will never happen
again. What happened in Europe during the Second World UNIC Manila National Information Officer (NIO) Teresa
War could happen again. And for that reason, the decision Debuque explained that “the spirit that animates the
made by the UN, to mark this day all around the world, United Nations (UN)’s observance of Holocaust Remem-
and to put an effort into educating people, especially the brance is the concept of ‘Responsibility to Protect,’ which
young, about it is extremely important. And we respect was adopted by the 2005 World Summit—the largest gath-
and admire this decision.” ering of Heads of State and Government the world has
seen. This concept offers new promise for concrete action
Meanwhile, DFA Undersecretary Basilio said that “through by Member States. It summarizes the inherent obligation
this exhibit, Shoah in Europe, we reaffirm our faith in of every State to protect its populations from genocide,
fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
human person and of the equal rights of men and women. It also asserts the responsibility of the international com-
Shall it take another Holocaust before we declare that munity to take collective action through the United Na-
every one is entitled to all rights and freedom without tions to protect populations from such serious crimes and
distinction of any kind such as race, color, language, sex, violations when States manifestly do so. United Nations
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is committed to this con-
property, birth and other status? Never is our answer.” cept and has said that, ‘working together, we can deliver
on the promise of the responsibility to protect. And we can
“We all must be ready to stand in defense of human transform this idea from an abstract obligation into what it
rights,” Undersecretary Basilio added. “Let us be vigilant truly is: one of humanity’s highest challenges.’”
and be reminded of the lessons of the past; human rights
will always be threatened unless we put our hands and A representative of the Department of Education (DepEd),
our minds together in order to make the protection and Rizalino Jose Rosales, Chief Administrative Officer and
promotion of human rights prevail in all parts of the world.” concurrent Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Assistant
Regional Director for the National Capital Region (NCR),
At a reception that followed the exhibit opening, Commis- was invited to the reception to signify the DepEd’s support
sion on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales for UN General Assembly Resolution 60/7, which urges
said that the Holocaust is a “prime example of a ‘never Member States to develop educational curricula on the
again moment’ that led to the adoption of the UN Dec- Holocaust.
laration of Human Rights. We, in the Philippines, have
our own ‘never again’ moment with our experience of the
atrocities committed during the Marcos dictatorship. The
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3. Scenes from the Shoah in Europe Exhibit
Opening at the DFA
(Above: Logo of Memorial de la Shoah--the Paris
based curator of the Shoah in Europe exhibit)
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4. KC Concepcion goes to Uganda on WFP field mission
“The day is about to end and I am both pleasantly over- that I can help out in whatever capacity.”, KC said before
whelmed and in shock, in an adrenaline-rush and also boarding her flight to Uganda.
exhausted. What affected me the most was when we
entered little homesteads protected by raw thorn fences KC’s five-day field mission allowed her to visit remote
through low and narrow holes to experience a normal areas of Uganda where WFP is working towards lasting
day in the lives of a tribe here”—read a text message last solutions to hunger while providing assistance to the most
January 20 from KC Concepcion, World Food Programme vulnerable, hungry communities. In addition to interacting
(WFP) - Philippines National Ambassador Against Hun- with different WFP programme beneficiaries from women
ger, during her trip to Uganda for her first field mission farmers to babies in therapeutic feeding centres, KC was
outside the Philippines. also able to observe how people live.
After more than two decades of conflict between the WFP is committed to helping the Government of Uganda
Lord’s Resistance Army and the Ugandan Government and the communities it serves to find lasting solutions to
forces, peace has returned to the northern part of the hunger, applying whatever tool is most effective in a par-
country. As a result, over 80 percent of Internally Dis- ticular situation – whether it is food assistance, livelihood
placed Persons (IDPs) have moved back to their original support, education and sensitisation, or support for local
homes and farms. While Uganda as a whole has enough production and markets. In fact, more than 70 percent of
food, hunger challenges remain countrywide due to ac- the food that WFP distributes in Uganda is bought within
cess and utilisation challenges in many locations. the country. WFP is the single largest buyer of food and
the largest quality-oriented purchaser of grain in Uganda,
Prior to this trip, KC had gone on several missions with currently spending over US$50 million a year.
WFP in conflict-affected Central Mindanao. “As a Na-
tional Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations Being a WFP ambassador for three years now, KC has
World Food Program, I represent the UN not only here in significantly helped to advocate against hunger and raise
the Philippines but also wherever they think I should go, resources for the organization, gracing several events
in this case Africa. I’ve gone to Mindanao several times both locally and internationally. Through an online auction
and so this for me is also a learning experience never of her personal items, KC’s Closet Fights Child Hunger
having been to Africa. Conflicts all over the world result (http://stores.ebay.ph/KCs-Closet-Fights-Child-Hunger),
in the same kind of suffering and pain for the affected she was able to raise half a million pesos for WFP. The
populations. We share a common predicament as hu- online auction runs until March 2011. All proceeds will go
man beings whether in Mindanao or Uganda. I’m just glad to WFP.
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5. Platform HD2010 goes to Tabaco, Albay
and discussed
their areas of
responsibilities.
During the pre-
sentation of each
group’s outputs
to the plenary,
Mayor Lagman-
Luistro promised
to provide coun-
terpart funds for
every MDG-relat-
ed project.
“For every peso
your barangay
invests in MDG
projects, the
city will give you
another peso,”
Lagman-Luistro
said.
Dulce Saret, UN
Millennium Cam-
paign National
Coordinator, said
that the impor-
ALBAY, Philippines, January 13, 2011—The City of Ta- tance of the MDGs goes beyond compliance with an
baco achieved significant improvements in the Millennium international agreement.
Development Goals (MDGs) on poverty, primary educa-
tion enrollment and maternal health, data captured from According to Saret, civil society members should continue
the city’s second round of Community Based Monitoring monitoring government. The government must also de-
System revealed. liver the MDGs because they are the entitlement of every
citizen.
The report was presented as part of an MDG Forum orga-
nized by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement Further forums and discussions will be organized in Ta-
(PRRM) and supported by Platform HD2010. The Forum baco to develop an enhanced citizens’ monitoring tool. A
aimed to develop a Citizens’ Monitoring Tool (CMT) to municipal MDG planning session is set to be conducted
mainstream MDGs in local planning and enhance current within the quarter.
MDG monitoring systems.
Since 2010, PRRM and other members of the UN Civil
Addressing newly elected barangay leaders, department Society Assembly (UN-CSA) have been actively imple-
staffs and community members, Tabaco City Mayor and menting and participating in various activities of Platform
MDG advocate Krisel Lagman-Luistro opened the Forum HD2010. The result of a partnership among UNDP,
urging participants to “think global, act local” to achieve MDG-F and the UN Millennium Campaign, Platform
the MDGs. HD2010 is a special project that recognizes the important
role of civil society in MDG processes, especially in light
PRRM President Isagani Serrano compared the country’s of the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Declaration.
progress on the MDGs with others in the region, highlight-
ing the MDGs as minimum goals which should be priori- The UN Country Team in the Philippines was one of the
tized above all others. six recipient countries of this initiative last year. The UN-
CSA, composed of 67 civil society networks and organi-
Participants took part in focus group discussions where zations, serves as its implementing partner in the country.
they identified the current programs which addressed
MDGs, debated about potential projects to address gaps,
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6. President Aquino issues proclamation on IYV+10
Last January 12, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino
III issued a proclamation, declaring the year 2011
as the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of
Volunteers (IYV+10), and adopting the Filipino IYV+10
theme: “Volunteering for the MDGs! Build Hope,
Change Lives: Volunteer!”
In the Philippines, IYV+10 activities are being spear-
headed by the United Nations Development Pro-
gramme (UNDP) and the United Nations Volunteers
(UNV), together with the lead government agency for vol-
unteer activities, the Philippine National Volunteer Service
Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA).
The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 2001 as the
International Year of Volunteers or “IYV” (UNGA Resolu-
tion A/Res/52/17 of 1997), in order to enhance the Recog-
nition, Facilitation, Networking and Promotion of volunteer
service. In 2008, the UN General Assembly issued a
resolution which re-affirmed the significance of volunteer-
ism for the achievement of the Millennium Developments
Goals and called for marking the 10th anniversary of the
International Year of Volunteers (A/Res/63/153). As the
focal point for IYV+10, UNV together with more than 40
international volunteer organizations around the world,
launched IYV+10 on December 5, 2010--the International
Volunteer Day globally.
The launch of IYV+10 in the Philippines was held on
December 5, 2010.
Join us for Volunteering for the MDGs in the Philippines!
For further actions in 2011, please visit the website of
UNV and PNVSCA at www.unv.org.ph and www.pnvsca.
gov.ph 1. Poster on “ IYV + 10, Volunteering for the MDGs”
2. Brochure on “Volunteering for the MDGs”
The following materials about IYV + 10 are available and 3. Indicative Action Plan for the Celebration of IYV + 10
more volunteer initiatives are appreciated for achieving and
the Millennium Development Goals in the Philippines by 4. Monthly Theme Calendar.
2015:
UNITED NATIONS PHILIPPINES
UN Cooordination Office In an effort to work as one and share informa-
30th Floor, RCBC Plaza tion among agencies, the UN in the Philippines
Yuchengco Tower, Ayala Avanue, Makati City is publishing this e-newsletter. Contributions
Tel: 9010100 website: http://ph.one.un.org may be sent to teresa.debuque@unic..org
(copy furnished to charito.sanalila@unic.org)
Published by: every 21st of the month.
United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Manila
www.unicmanila.org
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