Abstract
The adoption of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Charter in 2008 and the establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR) in 2010 have pushed ASEAN to be more responsive to human rights commitments in the region. In view of the regional developments and the increase of transboundary concerns, the six government-established national human rights institutions (NHRIs) in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Myanmar formed the Southeast Asia National Human Rights Forum (SEANF) in 2009 to organise itself as a regional mechanism for human rights promotion and protection in ASEAN. So far, the relationship between the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission of Human Rights (AICHR) and the SEANF has not been progressing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential role of SEANF in addressing human rights issues with the existing regional human rights mechanism, the AICHR.
Highlights
The 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights left its mark on the Asian approach on human rights
The adoption of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Charter in 2008 and the establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR) in 2010 have pushed ASEAN to be more responsive to human rights commitments in the region
The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential role of Southeast Asia National Human Rights Forum (SEANF) in addressing human rights issues with the existing regional human rights mechanism, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission of Human Rights (AICHR)
Summary
The 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights left its mark on the Asian approach on human rights. The establishment of the AICHR signifies the ASEAN’s commitment to pursue forward-looking strategies to advance regional cooperation on human rights Both developments are considered as milestones for an association that is rooted in the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of neighbouring states. In some countries, there is a certain degree of expectation that NHRIs reach out actively to civil society and become an effective channel for these non-state actors to further their claims to the state Their nature and structure within government should provide them an “advantage” in engaging with other human rights related institutions and in accessing information and documents which otherwise may not be obtained by most nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and in forming closer engagement with government officials. Such situation creates vague and ambiguous working relations between the AICHR and SEANF, though the cooperation could well benefit human rights protection in the region
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