A/HRC/44/22 elusive. Landed elites and political dynasties remain entrenched and wield extensive political and economic influence at the national and local levels. 8. The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, of 2014, and the Bangsamoro Organic Law, of 2018, established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which ended the armed conflict with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. A transitional government is now in place, with elections expected in 2022. Armed clashes between the Government and NPA persist, however, despite talks and several ceasefires over the past 50 years. In December 2017, the President proclaimed the Communist Party of the Philippines, and its military wing, NPA, “terrorist entities”. 9. In recent years, other laws have been passed to advance human rights, including on universal access to tertiary education and health care, mental health, sexual harassment, and children in situations of armed conflict.2 Magna Cartas of women, the poor and persons with Disabilities have been enacted. 10. The Philippines is highly susceptible to natural disasters and the impacts of climate change, which exacerbate challenges in protecting human rights, notably economic, social and cultural rights. 11. The Philippines has ratified eight core international human rights instruments3 and has undergone three universal periodic review cycles (in 2008, 2012 and 2017). The Government has continued to engage actively with some special procedure mandate holders, although the last official visit occurred in 2015,4 and the President has publicly insulted and even threatened some mandate holders. 5 The Philippines has engaged in technical cooperation activities with OHCHR, including with a senior human rights adviser supporting the United Nations country team since 2014. III. Key human rights issues 12. The human rights situation in the Philippines is marked by an overarching focus on public order and national security, including on countering terrorism and illegal drugs. This focus has permeated the implementation of existing laws and policies and the adoption of new measures, often at the expense of human rights, due process, the rule of law and accountability. Thus, while there have been important human rights gains in recent years, particularly in economic and social rights, the underpinning focus on national security threats – real and inflated – has led to serious human rights violations, reinforced by harmful rhetoric from high-level officials. While the present report is unable to address the whole array of human rights issues highlighted in the submissions received – issues that would merit further examination – it focuses on key patterns of violations. A. Human rights violations in the context of the campaign against illegal drugs 13. A survey in 2015 found that approximately 1.8 million people in the Philippines (2.3 per cent of the population) were drug users.6 The challenges posed by illegal drugs have wide-ranging human rights impacts and the Government has adopted an anti-illegal drugs strategy. But successive administrations have mostly employed increasingly violent law enforcement measures and disturbing rhetoric in the campaign against illegal drugs and 2 3 4 5 6 Republic Acts No. 10931, No. 11223, No. 11036, No. 11313 and No. 11188. It has not ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. See A/HRC/32/35/Add.3. See, for example, www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22421& LangID=E. Dangerous Drugs Board, 2015 Nationwide Survey on the Nature and Extent of Drug Abuse in the Philippines, p. 54. 3