● ● ● ● ● ● Right to clean air and water Right to a safe environment Right to work Right to freedom of expression Right to protect the creation of God and the rights of the next generation Right to own land In terms of the right to own land, ownership of farm lands was specified. It was pointed out that certificates of land ownership show gender inequality, favoring men over women. National statistics also captures this disparity. In the Philippines, land titles are most often placed under the name of the male spouses. “Out of the 1,845,272 land title holders, only 27% or 506,571 are women” (NSO 2006). The stakeholders are well-aware of the laws and policies that protect their rights which they have identified below: ● UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (Protect, Respect, Remedy) ● Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (CARPER) ● Fisheries Code - RA 8550 as amended by 10654 ● Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act of 1997 (IPRA) Law - RA 8371 ● Magna Carta of Women - RA 9710 ● Anti-Violence Against Women and Children - RA 9262 The succeeding part of this report presents policy instruments that protect and promote the rights of rural women, in relation to issues on business and human rights. RURAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND RELEVANT POLICY INSTRUMENTS: The following are international and local instruments that have recognized the challenges faced by rural women, particularly as a result of development aggression and in line with issues on Business and Human Rights (BHR): UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights UNGP is a set of 31 principles directed at States and companies that clarify their duties and responsibilities to protect and respect human rights in the context of business activities and to ensure access to an effective remedy for individuals and groups affected by such activities. The negative impacts of globalization and development aggression on rural communities have been noted globally. As such, these guiding principles that implement the United Nations’ “Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework” were developed to compel all corporations and business enterprises to respect and uphold human rights in the conduct of their business, and obligates all governments to ensure human rights protection for their citizens, especially for the marginalized groups. UNGP was endorsed by the Human Rights Council on 16 June 2011. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights has three pillars: 1. The State’s duty to ​protect​ human rights The State must protect its citizens, especially the marginalized, against business-related abuse within their territory and/or jurisdiction. This can be done through effective policies, legislation, regulation and adjudication. 6