Pressing Forward in 2008: WG to Support Crafting of Terms of Reference for ASEAN Human Rights Body

 

Working Group members define the strategy in small group activities.

Members of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) held their strategic planning meeting in Singapore on February 21-23, 2008.

The Working Group took stock of key developments for human rights in the region in the past year. 2007 saw the ongoing progress for the creation of a national human rights institution (NHRI) in Cambodia that is compliant with the Paris Principles. These are the minimum guidelines which human rights institutions follow in order to effectively promote and protect human rights in a country. As for the existing NHRIs of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, cooperation among the four was formalized. The year concluded on a bright note, with the adoption of an ASEAN Charter which will turn the region into a legal, rules-based entity. A provision in the Charter calls for the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body.

Ms. Karen Dumpit, a director from the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines and PWG member, leads a brainstorming session.

During their meeting in Singapore, the Working Group received word that ASEAN foreign ministers- who were also holding their ministerial retreat at the same time- had agreed to establish a high level panel of officials who will draft the terms of reference (TOR) which will spell out the mandate and scope of the ASEAN human rights body. The foreign ministers have decided to discuss the TOR for the individuals who will comprise the high level panel on the human rights body during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on July 2008 in Singapore. Once the TOR of the high level panel is approved, those sitting in it could proceed to draft the actual TOR of the human rights body.

As such, Co-Chairperson Marzuki Darusman said that most of the Working Group’s efforts in 2008 will be channelled towards strategically supporting and sharing its human rights expertise with the high level panel which will be drafting the TOR.

“It is encouraging to know that ASEAN is already taking concrete steps towards creating a TOR for the ASEAN human rights body,” said Darusman, “We will be exploring how else we can contribute to developments in ASEAN this year, especially now that the ASEAN human rights body- which we had been advocating since 1993- is taking shape”.