Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Extends Support to
Working Group
Working group members met with the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia. (From left to right) Sinapan
Samydorai of the Singaporean Working Group, Sunsanee Suthisunsanee
of the Thai Working Group, Marimuthu Nadason of the Malaysia
Working Group, Cambodia Working Group Chair Kem Sokha, Philippine
Working Group Chair Wigberto Tañada, Regional Working
Group Co-chair Marzuki Darusman, Secretary General of Malaysia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fuzi Tansri, Malaysia Working
Group Chair Dato Param Cumaraswamy, Undersecretary for Policy
Planning Division of Malaysia Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Zulkifli Adnan.
The Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working
Group) met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia
on November 17 to discuss the implementation of the human
rights provisions of the Vientiane Action Programme (VAP).
Also discussed were the preparations for the 5th Workshop
on the ASEAN Regional Mechanism on Human Rights scheduled
in early 2006 in Kuala Lumpur.
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tan
Sri Ahmad Fuzi extended the support of the Malaysian Foreign
Ministry in the eventual creation of an ASEAN Human Rights
Commission. Fuzi said that Malaysia was one of the ASEAN
countries who supported the idea to have an ASEAN Human
Rights Commission during the discussion on the ASEAN Security
Community.
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The Working Group also discussed with the Ministry the
possibility of ASEAN funding the implementation of the human
rights provisions of the VAP, particularly the establishment
of a commission on women and children, elaboration of an
ASEAN instrument on migrant workers and the promotion of
education and public awareness on human rights in the region.
During the 38th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane,
Lao P.D.R. (July 2005), ASEAN signed an Agreement on the
Establishment of an ASEAN Development Fund (ADF) to support
the financing of the VAP. The Ministry, however, expressed
that the fund is still not big enough to fund the implementation.
Malaysia is currently the chair of the 39th ASEAN Standing
Committee.
