5 convention22 which addresses a gap in labor standards for fishers; addresses the specific nature of working in fishing; ensures fishers have decent working and living conditions; and applies to all fishers in all fishing vessels engaged in commercial fishing operations. The concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights can also be utilized by States to monitor the situation of the artisanal fisherfolk. In fact, it suggests that in delineating municipal waters and improving fisherfolk income, 23 the State can be guided by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) “Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication” or the SSF Guidelines. 24 The said guideline is the first international instrument dedicated to the millions of people employed in small-scale fisheries and fish workers. It complements other international instruments, bringing together social development and other development factors. National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) play a vital role in achieving SDG25 as human rights and the SDGs are inextricably linked. Given the unique mandate of NHRIs, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) as the NHRI of the country, play a key role in the implementation and follow-up of the Agenda, and are at the core of the SDG ‘web of accountability’ to “leave no one behind.” NHRIs role is not limited to SDG 16, or ‘Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions’, but it can reinforce the implementation and monitoring of all 17 SDGs. This allows the CHR to use this as a platform to engage with relevant stakeholders in ensuring the protection of the sector’s rights and creating an enabling environment for the realization of their rights. II. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS The CHR has specific mandates on respecting, protecting, and promoting the full range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. It is constitutionally mandated26 to keep track of the human rights situation in the Philippines and recommend policy measures to ensure the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce socio-economic, cultural, and political inequalities. To fulfill these mandates, the ESCR Center conducts regular monitoring programs to document the government’s policies and practices in compliance with international human rights obligations on ESCR. In furtherance of these mandates, the ESCR Center embarked on monitoring the situation of artisanal fisherfolk. The monitoring activity looked into the implementation of RA No. 8550 particularly on the delineation of municipal waters, focusing on how it affects the sector’s access to marine resources and its effects to their livelihood. It also explored the adverse impacts of reclamation projects and the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic on their ability to continue their livelihood. Specifically, the report aims to: 1. Look at the implementation of the RA No. 8550 as amended by RA No. 10654, particularly on delineation of municipal waters and continued encroachment of commercial fishing, and its impacts on: a. Access to marine resources of municipal artisanal fisherfolk 22 C188 Work in Fishing Convention: Available from ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C188 (visited 08/13/2021) 23 Concluding Observation no.45 from the combined 5th and 6th Periodic Report of the Philippines to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Available from www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Concluding-Observations-CESCR-Philippines-2016-eng.pdf (last viewed 08/09/2021) 24 Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication Available from www.fao.org/voluntary-guidelines-small-scale-fisheries/guidelines/en/ (last viewed 08/13/2021) 25 The SDGs in Action, supra note 21 26 See The Philippine Constitution, Art. XIII