Arrival of an international expert team to assess national capacities needs on the investigation of potentially unlawful death in the Philippines

A three-person team of experts on the Minnesota Protocol on the investigation of potentially unlawful death is visiting the Philippines from 6 to 9 February 2023. This capacity development initiative is carried out as part of the United Nations Joint Programme on Human Rights and within the framework of the Human Rights Council resolution 45/33 on technical cooperation.

During the visit, the experts will meet with government officials, members of law enforcement, academia and civil society actors in order to strengthen their understanding of local capacities, and to discuss a training programme for strengthening investigations into potentially unlawful deaths in line with international best practice and standards.

The Minnesota Protocol on the investigation of potentially unlawful death (2016) is today’s golden standard for the investigation and prevention of potentially unlawful deaths. Awareness and effective use and implementation of the Minnesota Protocol is an effective way of ensuring that all cases of potentially unlawful deaths are effectively investigated, including for the prevention of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

The team of experts consists of Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz, Dr. Stephen Cordner and Atty. Kingsley Abbott. Dr. Morris Tidball-Binz currently serves as UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and is conducting this technical exploration visit in a non-official capacity.