Unity is strength: Pooling knowledge to tackle complex human right issues in the Philippines

How is the Resident Coordinator and the UN Development System helping the Philippines tackle complex human right issues linked to the country’s so called ‘war on drugs’? 

In the video below we learn how the Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzalez, pooled from a broad ‘community of UN knowledge’ across the globe to support the Philippines negotiate a constructive resolution at the UN Human Rights Council. This is groundbreaking as it establishes a strong mandate to lead a new UN approach to help the country address a range of complex human rights issues. 

Watch the full video here. 

Here are three key takeaways:
 

Unity is strength 

"The reform of the UN development system is based on the old principle that unity is strength.  We need strength when problems exceed our capacities as individual entities, particularly those problems which require a system response."

"In the Philippines we put the UN reform in motion when we were asked to be part of the solution of a very complex and serious human rights situation as a result of the so called war on drugs."
 

Empowered Resident Coordinator's System 

"The empowered Resident Coordinator system allowed me to offer the good offices of the Resident Coordinator to conduct consultations, consensus building with the Government, with Member States and civil society organizations on the way forward."

"I was able to bring the knowledge and advice from the Department of Peacebuilding and Political Affairs, the Development Coordination Office and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It is in this context that the Philippines was able to negotiate a constructive resolution at the Human Rights Council calling for technical cooperation and the establishment of a UN joint programme to address human right issues in the Philippines."
 

Common sense of purpose 

"This strong call for a UN joint response allowed me to mobilize four highly specialized agencies that we brought together under a single programme, using an integrated approach and with a common sense of purpose."

"Such a unified platform provided the needed gravitas to engage with more than 20 government institutions and equal number of civil society organizations, the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights and the support of partners."

For more information about the work of the UN in the Philippines visit Philippines.un.org