WHO WE ARE

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines is a global network of organizations, concerned about the human rights situation in the Philippines, and committed to campaign for just and lasting peace in the country.

It aims to inform the international community about the grave human rights situation in the Philippines today.

Beyond information dissemination, it calls on freedom loving peoples, organizations, political parties, and governments all over the world to express their concern about the still deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines and to help the tens of thousands of victims in their quest for justice.

ICHRP operates in 15 countries around the world. Our more than 50 member organizations include churches, trade unions, environmental advocacy groups, and grassroots Philippine solidarity groups, among others.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The international community has shown solidarity for the people of the Philippines for decades, dating back to the time of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr in the 1980s. Since then, various global networks and organizations have campaigned alongside Filipino human rights defenders for an end to state violence, repression, and other violations of human rights.

During the 2000s, several campaigns were launched in the Philippines and abroad to expose the repressive “counter-insurgency” campaign of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government. These included the Task Force Against Political Repression, International Solidarity to Stop the Killings in the Philippines (or Stop the Killings network), and Hustisya! The coordinated international campaigns forced the Arroyo government to rein in her security forces towards the end of her presidency.

The preceding government of Benigno Simeon Aquino III lent a deaf ear to the international clamor to bring justice to the victims of these violations, and instead responded by launching an equally vicious but sugar-laced “peace and internal security plan”. It was in this context that Philippine human rights defenders called upon their foreign friends to come to the Philippines, bear witness to the even worsening situation of the Filipino people, and come together for the International Conference for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines.

This conference, which took place in Quezon City from July 19-21, 2013, included over 160 delegates from various organizations. The gathering provided a very good opportunity to formalize the ICHRPP network into a more tightly-knit organization: the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP).

Since 2013, ICHRP has campaigned to expose and oppose the various human rights violations taking place under the administrations of Aquino, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. It has grown to a worldwide coalition of dozens of member organizations. Subsequent General Assemblies of the coalition have taken place in 2016 in Davao City; 2019 in Hong Kong; and 2023 in Bangkok.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

ICHRP members carry out the following strategies and activities to generate the greatest level of moral, political, and material support to the Filipino people in their struggle for justice.

Rights education and information dissemination:

• Internal orientations and discussions
• Seminars, film showings, conferences, and similar fora
• Publication and maintenance of a website
• Maintenance of information mailing lists and social media accounts
• Exposure programs and solidarity missions to the Philippines

Lobby work and advocacy to:

• United Nations institutions and mechanisms
• Regional and country parliaments, relevant state institutions
• Other relevant state and international bodies
• Other relevant non-state HR bodies and other institutions

Conduct of coordinated campaigns and actions:

• Campaigns against violations of civil and political rights of the Filipino people (Stop the Killings, Stop Enforced Disappearances, Free All Political Prisoners, Stop the Bombings, etc.)
• Campaigns in furtherance of the people’s economic, social and cultural rights (Land rights, workers rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, right to abode, migrant and refugee rights, etc.)
• Campaigns resisting foreign intervention and militarism especially by the US in the Philippines
• Campaigns supporting the peace negotiations in the Philippines

COUNTRY AND REGIONAL CHAPTERS

To coordinate the campaigns and activities of our member organizations, ICHRP forms country and regional Chapters as coordinating bodies in areas where our organizations exist. Currently, ICHRP consists of four country and regional Chapters:

ICHRP Canada
ICHRP US
ICHRP Europe
APCHRP (Asia-Pacific)