In terms of protection, there is urgent need to respond tothesituationof internally displaced
persons, soldiers out of combat, medical personal, children involved in armed conflict and other
vulnerable groups. Specifically, we recommend immediate relief and the provision of basic
services to those affected by situationsof conflict and the developmentandinstitutionalization
of systems and structures for protection, including the following:
a
Establishing multi-agency /sectoral representation in response mechanisms, and
B
Developing infrastructures to respond to needs of displaced persons-— psycho-social
interventions, socio-economic development, education,etc.
FOR IDPs
a
a
Expanding monitoring and IDP protection networks and supporter,
Utilizing CARHRIHL and pushing for other agreementsto raise the issue of IDPs and
their protection in areas with GRP-NDFP conflicts
FOR MEDICAL,
a
a
a
Instituting Monitoring Reporting Mechanism (MRM)jointly organized with a third party,
Safeguarding medical personnel and facilities and life sustaining utilities, and
Increasing the numberof mediators and their capacities.
FOR SECURITY FORCES
a
Allowing access(for both sides) to official records (writ of habeasdata),
2
a
Strengthening and professionalizing security forces (number/ equipment), and
Enhancing integrated community security and safety measures.
In terms of observing the principlesof IHL — distinction,limitations and proportionality— the
main concerns are on non-compliance on the protection of child combatants, use of weapons
that do not distinguish civilian objectives from military objectives; absence of domestic laws
that distinguish civilians from combatants; the proliferation of small armsproliferation; and, the
weak local implementationof international treaties such as the Convention on the Rightofthe
Child, CEDAW, ESCR,etc. We advancethe following action points and policy recommendations:
Documenting, investigating and prosecuting IHL violations;
Criminalizing the use of weaponsthat do notdistinguish e.g. landmines, boobytraps;
Lobbying for the passageof the IHLbill and theratification of the RomeStatute;
Strengthening local gun laws and campaigningfor the Arms Trade Treaty;
Creating the movementagainst nuclear weapons production/ development, and
Conducting dialogues between and among conflicting parties
In honor of the Conventions and the whole IHL regime, we close this summit with the
following urgentcalls
1.
Onthe majorparties to the armed conflicts in the Philippines — namely the GRP-
AFP, the CPP-NPA-NDF,the MILF and the MNLF — tobringinto force, by means of
special agreementsin the context of the peace process, those Conventionsto the
extent appropriate to their respective armed conflicts. Short of such special
agreements, we call on the sameparties to issue unilateral declarations of undertaking
to apply those Conventions to the extent appropriate to their conduct of armed conflict.
In this way, the higher standards of those Conventionsfor international armed conflict
mightbe applied to oursituations of internal armed conflict which need and can benefit
from better humanitarian protection ofcivilians and other protected persons under IHL.