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Makati mayor opens 2nd ASEAN Human Rights Cities Forum

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Makati mayor opens 2nd ASEAN Human Rights Cities Forum

Photograph courtesy of makati pio

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Mayor Nancy Binay welcomed diplomats and civic leaders from Southeast Asia and the European Union to Makati on Tuesday, as the city opened the 2nd Regional Forum on Human Rights Cities in ASEAN at the Dusit Thani Manila.

Addressing delegates during the opening ceremony, Binay emphasized that human rights governance must be reflected in local policy rather than formal declarations alone.

“A declaration can announce a Human Rights City. Only daily life can prove it,” Binay said, highlighting how Makati’s 2027 investment program links 354 municipal programs and 979 local projects directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Binay also urged regional delegates to build a lasting community of practice among municipalities across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Binay delivered welcome remarks alongside Undersecretary Georgina Ann Hernandez Yang, Philippine Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and AICHR chair; Bhanubhatra Jittiang, Thailand’s Representative to AICHR; Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, secretary-general of United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific; and Massimo Santoro, European Union Ambassador to the Philippines.

Phasporn Sangasubana, executive director of the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue, delivered remarks online, while Undersecretary Leo M. Herrera-Lim, Philippine ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting leader, gave the officiating address.

Delegates are scheduled to conduct field visits on 4 November to the Makati Youth Home, the Teen Center at Makati High School, and the rehabilitated Estero de Tripa de Gallina in Barangay San Isidro.