AFP, UNODC ink pact

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime signed a 'declaration of cooperation' to start partnering for their "common interest."

AFP chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro and UNODC Philippines head and senior policy advisor Oliver Georges Lemet met at the AFP general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Monday to officially begin a partnership between the two institutions.

In a statement, AFP public affairs office chief, Col. Jorry Baclor said the pact involves the development and institutionalization of training and education on human rights-based approaches of their common interests.

"The declaration is a non-legally binding instrument; however, the parties are expected to act in good faith concerning each other's role stipulated in the document with the end view of having the areas of possible cooperation materialize into a formal and binding agreement," Baclor said.

The document covers common interests and areas of cooperation such as health, counter-illicit drugs, counterterrorism, transnational organized crime, anti-corruption, human rights and criminal justice.