Singaporean Civil
Society Groups Form Interim Committee to Support the Establishment
of an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism
Singapore Civil Society takes an interest on the initiative
to establish an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism |
Civil society groups gathered at the Asia-Europe
Foundation office in Singapore last 01 September 2007
for a Dialogue Meeting with the Working Group for an ASEAN
Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) to discuss the initiative
to establish an ASEAN human rights mechanism.
The objectives of the dialogue meeting were to:
-
Orient the participants as to the initiative to
establish an ASEAN human rights mechanism as well
as developments;
-
Discuss the importance of grassroots support to
the initiative; and
-
Explore possibilities of a national working group
in Singapore.
The Working Group, led by Co-Chair Marzuki Darusman
and Secretary-General Carlos Medina, introduced to the
participants what the initiative to establish an ASEAN
human rights mechanism is all about and how members of
Singapore’s civil society organizations can help
in the initiative.
As an outcome of the meeting, the Singaporeans agreed
to form an interim committee in Singapore that could coordinate
interests and efforts towards constructive engagement
in Singapore on the initiative. Ms. Braema Mathiaparanam,
an activist on women's, migrants and HIV issues who works
at the Institute of
South East Asian Studies, was chosen by the Singaporean
participants to coordinate the efforts and the work of
the interim committee which could later on lead towards
the reformation of the Singapore Working Group for an
ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism.
During the 40th
ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila last 30-31 July
2007, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to include a
provision in the ASEAN Charter that mandates the creation
of a human rights body. The Working Group has been advocating
for a regional human rights mechanism since 1996.
The Singaporean government has also agreed to co-host
the 7th Workshop on the ASEAN Regional Mechanism on Human
Rights next year during the Working Group’s meeting
with the ASEAN Senior Officials on the occasion of the
41st AMM.
