New ACFID Resolution

October 27, 2016

Representatives from ABM are currently attending the ACFID Annual Council meeting this week.

 

As a member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the peak body governing the Community Development sector, ABM supported a new resolution that was put forward by the Council. The resolution, concerning the alarming issue of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, was unanimously passed by all participants.

 

In summary, the ACFID Council calls on members to:

1. Stand in solidarity with civil society in the Philippines, and Asia and the Pacific more broadly, in expressing their opposition to the extrajudicial killings encouraged by the Duterte government,

Support greater engagement with drug user organizations and communities to achieve human rights and evidence based approaches to drug use.

2. Sustain diplomatic engagement to develop strategies to combat human rights abuses against people who use drugs, and requests the Australian government to sustain bilateral political engagement with the Philippines that works towards ending the extrajudicial killings, and seeks a harm reduction approach to supporting the 700,000 drug users who have identified themselves to the Philippines authorities within current legal frameworks.

ACFID meeting in Melbourne from 24th to 27th October 2016. © Julianne Stewart/ABM, 2016.

 ABM will be actively working to support our partners and civil society groups in their advocacy goals surrounding this important issue.