The United Nations (UN) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines has lauded the country’s strides in promoting the organization’s human rights agenda through the initiatives undertaken by the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Ambassador Gustavo Gonzalez, who is due to complete his mission to the Philippines by the end of the month, expressed his gratitude for the trust and support he received from the Marcos government during his end-of-mission courtesy visit to Remulla on Thursday, according to a DOJ news release on Friday.

Gonzales also acknowledged Remulla for his “great leadership” in handling a lot of critical and sensitive matters that the Philippine government has faced since their assumption into office.

He congratulated the DOJ chief for the success of the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) on Human Rights and of several high-level events before several United UN bodies, like the UN Human Rights Council.

Gonzalez noted that the DOJ realized a lot of reforms in the criminal justice sector and encouraged Remulla to continue making the most of UN’s support, especially in light of its expanded capacity and presence of several UN offices in the Philippines.

For his part, Remulla thanked Gonzalez for his support to the Philippine government.

He expressed the need and intention to partner with UN on recent initiatives where UN’s expertise on highly technical matters may prove valuable.

The initiatives include the integration of the Philippine government’s jail management and corrections systems into a single harmonized and seamless correction-reformation system, as well as addressing recent threats brought about by cybercrimes.

“It is an honor to have our friends from the United Nations here in our country to join us in promoting human rights. Your unwavering commitment to champion human rights throughout the world serves as a constant reminder for the Filipino people to never falter in defending and safeguarding the life and dignity of every person,” Remulla said.

Remulla was joined by Undersecretary Jesse Hermogenes Andres, Assistant Secretary Eliseo Cruz, and DOJ Human Rights Office Program Director Hazel Decena-Valdez.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez was accompanied by UN Senior Human Rights Adviser Signe Poulsen and UN Resident Coordinator Office Chief of Staff Matija Kovac. (PNA)