AICHR Eyes Further Promoting Human Rights In ASEAN

By Chandravathani Sathasivam and Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has crafted a five-year work plan from next year aimed at further promoting human rights in the region. AICHR's 2016-2020 work plan and Priority Programmes 2016, as well as its Annual Report 2015, will be presented during the interface session between ASEAN foreign ministers and AICHR representatives scheduled for Monday. "This Interface meeting is important as we hope to address priority issues in ASEAN, especially those concerning human trafficking," AICHR chair and Malaysia's representatative to the body, Dr Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (picture), told Bernama. The need to strengthen the ASEAN secretariat in relation to human rights work would also be raised at the session, said Muhammad Shafee, who chaired the special meeting of AICHR at a hotel here Sunday. Taking place from Sunday until Aug 5, this is the fifth meeting in the series of AICHR meetings under Malaysia’s chairmanship of AICHR in 2015, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry. The meeting is held in parallel with the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences and Related Meetings which began Saturday until Aug 6, at the Putra World Trade Centre here. Muhammad Shafee said the session with the ASEAN foreign ministers would be an important channel for AICHR to discuss the direction in ensuring the continuation of efforts to promote human rights in the 10-member grouping of Southeast Asian nations. Elaborating further, he said that AICHR had completed a thematic study on corporate social responsibility (CSR), and would suggest to the foreign ministers to look seriously at CSR mechanism as a holistic approach to promote a people-centred and socially responsible ASEAN member states. Meanwhile, Muhammad Shafee said AICHR, under a Malaysian initiative as the ASEAN chair 2015, would host the inaugural judiciary symposium in Kuala Lumpur in October involving chief justices and supreme court judges from ASEAN and beyond. Noting that the proposed symposium had been given the green light by the AICHR meeting, he said the event would be a platform to share and exchange views and experiences on how judiciary should play its role on the issue of human rights. "Besides top chief justices and judicial experts from ASEAN, we hope to draw participants from countries like India, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union," he said, adding that Australia and Canada had confirmed their presence at the October gathering. Meanwhile, the ministry statement said that AICHR would continue its discussion on the implementation of AICHR Priority Programmes 2014/2015 and other related initiatives for 2015. On the sidelines of the special meeting, the AICHR representatives would meet with the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. "The purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for AICHR to exchange ideas and discuss possible cooperation between AICHR and the Working Group in promoting human rights in the region," the ministry said. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA