Civil Society Organizations to Draft an ASEAN People’s Charter

Representatives of Southeast Asian civil society groups come together

By way of reaffirming their strong commitment to work for the creation of a just, people-centered, caring and sharing ASEAN Community, civil society organizations (CSOs) and trade unions across Southeast Asia agreed, in their Singapore Declaration, to create an ASEAN People’s Charter. The launch of its drafting took place during the Third ASEAN + Civil Society Conference (ACSC-III) in Singapore on November 2-4, 2007.

Unlike the ASEAN Charter signed by heads of state during the 2007 ASEAN Summit in Singapore to turn ASEAN into a rules-based organization, the ASEAN People’s Charter is a document which will contain the collective aspirations of the people in the region. Participants of the ACSC-III, who numbered to around 200, said that key issues like human rights, social and economic justice, participatory democracy, rule of law, ecologically sustainable development, cultural diversity, and gender equality will be enshrined here. The ASEAN People’s Charter is set to be completed before the 2008 ASEAN Summit in Thailand.

The decision to create an ASEAN People’s Charter came after a lengthy discussion on the ASEAN Charter draft, which has not been released to the general public. Since not all ASEAN member-countries held widespread CSO consultations for the draft, participants were concerned that not all of the ASEAN peoples’ needs would be properly addressed. Among the most pertinent of these are human rights.

ASEAN foreign ministers, however, publicly affirmed during the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on July 2007 that a regional human rights body shall be mentioned in the ASEAN Charter. As such, other participants cautioned against the outright rejection of the ASEAN Charter because this will create openings for important institutions. “Let us not slam the door on any opportunity or opening which will allow CSOs to engage ASEAN further for the promotion and protection of human rights,” said Program Manager Ray Paolo Santiago of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, “what is important is that the regional human rights body will be in place”. He elaborated that, on the issue of human rights, the ASEAN Charter cannot go lower than what is provided for by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights

Working Group Program Manager Ray Paolo Santiago presents prospects
for the ASEAN human rights body. He is joined by co-panelist Mr.
Rafendi Djamin (left) and moderator Mr. Anselmo Lee (right).

The promise of the establishment of a human rights body in the ASEAN Charter also encouraged other groups present. “We support the establishment of a human rights body in the ASEAN Charter, even if it just mentions the beginnings (of a human rights body) because this is a platform where indigenous people’s rights can be heard. It is our duty to strengthen it,” said Ms. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Expert for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations. Dr. Yuval Ginbar, Legal Adviser of the International and Legal Organizations Program of the International Secretariat of Amnesty International, also cautioned against the outright rejection of the ASEAN Charter. He said, “Even if some governments sign things because they look good on paper, they can take on a life of their own as time progresses”.

The ACSC is a yearly event, organized by Southeast Asian CSO organizations, which parallels the ASEAN Summits. The ACSC-III, entitled “Moving Forward: Building an ASEAN People’s Agenda”, aimed to advance, support, and enrich the work of CSOs in the region, whilst recognizing the limits of their specific focuses. The organizers of ACSC-III include: the Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (AsiaDHRRA), Focus on the Global South, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Human Rights Working Group - Indonesia, Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA), Think Center – Singapore, and Third World Network (TWN).