DFA, UN open photo exhibit on refugee convention

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) opened a photo exhibit to mark the 30th anniversary of the Refugee Convention in the Philippines. Dubbed “Countdown to 30: Celebrating 30 years of the Refugee Convention in the Philippines," the exhibit was opened Friday at the DFA main lobby in Pasay City. In a statement issued Saturday, Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Esteban Conejos Jr. said the Philippines’ accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention showed the country’s resolve to join the international community in safeguarding the rights and welfare of refugees. He added the Philippine national legal framework for the protection of refugees, including the fully functioning refugee protection unit of the Department of Justice, is a model emulated by other countries in Asia. Guests at the opening of the photo exhibit included UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Jacqueline Badcock, UNHCR Representative Bernard Kerblat, DOJ’s Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras III, and members of the diplomatic corps. Paras heads the DOJ Refugee Protection Unit. During Friday’s rites, Conejos thanked the UNHCR for its assistance to the Philippine government during humanitarian disasters. He also thanked the commission for supporting the Philippines’ advocacy for state accession to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. — JE, GMA News