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The other two sponsors were the European Union and a Canada-based NGO called “SEARCH”. The two-day event was attended by government officials, human rights activists, academics and representatives of NGOs from ASEAN countries.
The event provided an opportunity for diverse groups with shared interest on improved human rights situations in ASEAN countries to exchange views on the terms of reference for the establishment of a regional human rights commission as well as expectations of and insights on this future human rights body.
Dato Param Cumaraswamy gave a welcome remark to the participants. Although the setting up of the regional human rights body would be formally approved at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in the southern province of Phuket on 19 July, “The Working Group ‘for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism’ will not fade away at the establishment of the AHRB,” Mr. Param said on behalf of the Working Group. “Such establishment will be an important step in moving towards a credible human rights regime in ASEAN.”
The former UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers made known his expectation of the soon-to-be-established regional human rights body. “At this juncture, it is really no secret that civil society, the Working Group included, and even some governments perhaps, would have preferred a much stronger, a much more balanced human rights body than what the imminent one will most likely be. We would have preferred a ToR document more legal than political in nature,” he said.
Mr. Param’s remark was followed by a keynote address by H.E. Mr. Surapong Jayanama, advisor to Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya. He was delivering the speech on behalf of the minister.
While describing the ASEAN member states’ cooperation on human rights as “one of the essential elements in building our people-oriented ASEAN community,” Mr. Surapong made clear that “ASEAN is not a people-oriented organ by its own history or nature.” It is only recently that ASEAN member states has committed to building a new ASEAN community with emphasis on recognition of people’s rights and fundamental freedoms. The establishment of an ASEAN human rights body is “just a first step,” he said.
In his speech, Mr. Surapong formally acknowledged the varying levels of human rights performances of member states and the need to rein in some states to meet the regional standards. “This is our long-awaited triumph after the proposal to establish a regional human rights mechanism in ASEAN was first tabled 15 years ago. It is something we—governments, academia and civil society organisations—have fought for. But our fight is still far from the end,” Mr. Surapong said.
Other speakers included: Ms. Alicia Bala, chairperson of the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary for Policy and Programme at the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development; Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn, an alternate member of Thailand to the High Level Panel on an ASEAN Human Rights Body; Dr. Termsak Chalermpalanupap, director of Political and Security Cooperation, ASEAN Secretariat; Dato Misran Karmain, senior undersecretary for Multilateral Political Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia; Mr. Wigberto Tañada, chairperson of the Philippine Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism; Mr. Rafendi Djamin, co-convenor of the Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy–-Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA-TFAHR); Ms. Kanda Vajarabhaya, chairperson of the Working Group for the Establishment of an ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children; Mr. Carlos Medina Jr., secretary-general of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, and Ms. Usana Berananda, head of Policy Section at the Thai Foreign Ministry’s Department of ASEAN Affairs.
As a promoter of human rights, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation has been an active supporter of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism since its early days over decade ago.
The regional human rights body, yet to be given an official name, is expected to be inaugurated at the 15th ASEAN summit tentatively scheduled for 23-23 October 2009 in Phuket, southern Thailand.
For more information about the Working Group, please visit www.aseanhrmech.org.
Text by Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s Southeast & East Asia office
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