ATTY. CECILIA JIMENEZ-DAMARY UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) * MESSAGE* The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR) has always been confronted with the challenges of protecting and promoting the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country. Our history throughout shows recurring patterns of internal displacement due to natural disasters and hazards, armed conflict, violence and development aggression, characterized by violations of human rights as well as immense resilience by IDPs. While the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (GPID), the State’s international human rights and humanitarian treaty obligations, and our Constitution and laws guarantee IDPs’ human rights, CHRP monitoring and response require deep understanding of the GPID and application to the Philippine situation, as well as a systematic monitoring rights-based methodology that will enable appropriate collection of information and data for more effective protection advocacy. The CHR IDP Monitoring Tool is therefore a momentous achievement on the part of the CHR, as a national human rights institution committed to serving IDPs, who are among the most marginalized in the country. After many years of developing the CHRP IDP Monitoring Tool from the 2010s– initiated by previous Commissions through valuable partnerships with NGOs and the Philippine Office of the UN High Commissioner of Refugees, I would like to congratulate the current CHR’s Center for Crisis, Conflict and Humanitarian Protection for this publication which will hopefully facilitate the promotion of IDP rights and strengthen the institution’s continued capacity in its work on IDPs. Developed mainly by the Commission’s regional offices with various partners are local municipal levels mainly in Mindanao, I take great pride in having been a part of its development during the final years of the CHR-UNHCR IDP Project while I was National Project Director. The fruition of this laudable endeavor is due to the dedication and commitment, to which I was witness, of the CHRP’s regional offices in Mindanao, as well as the Visayas and northern Luzon and members of the then IDP Project Management Office based in Davao City. Indeed, as we enter the 20th Anniversary of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement this 2018, the CHR IDP Monitoring Tool stands witness to the continuing human rights challenges in internal displacement, the important protection role of NHRIs and the endeavor to promote IDP rights in the Philippines and in other countries. Mabuhay kayo! December 10, 2017 Davao City vi