Bangkok, 23 July 2021 – The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) held the “Regional Dialogue: Self-Assessment of AICHR Progress After 10 Years” via video conference.
The Dialogue served as a platform for exchange of views within AICHR on structural and operational challenges during the first ten years since its establishment.
During the event, former and current AICHR Representatives reflected on the implementation of AICHR’s functions and mandates, and deliberated on areas to be strengthened for AICHR to solidify its position as the ASEAN human rights body.
The Dialogue was structured to consolidate Representatives’ personal reflections and recommendations relevant to AICHR’s evolution as a regional human rights mechanism and challenges in implementing AICHR’s mandates to provide policy support for the ASEAN Member States and Sectoral Bodies to mainstream human rights in ASEAN. They also discussed the ways forward to advance AICHR’s engagement with stakeholders and to strengthen AICHR’s protection mandate.
Around 40 participants from all ASEAN Member States attended the meeting, where the focused topics were discussed in view to deliberate a redesign of rules of procedure on the implementation of future activities.
In her opening remarks, Director-General of ASEAN Affairs Department of Thailand Usana Berananda commended organisers and participants for the enthusiasm to strengthen AICHR, which has been instrumental to the promotion of human rights and catalysing collaborations with various stakeholders in ASEAN. She reiterated Thailand’s strong support to a common strategy for achieving a people-centred and human rights respecting ASEAN Community.
The self-assessment of AICHR and its recommendations were aimed to support the work of a Panel of Experts to be established by the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting as tasked by the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to discuss a review the Terms of Reference of AICHR. At the Dialogue, a panel of experts which consisted of members from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand shared their views and opinions on possible ways forward to strengthen AICHR’s mandates.
AICHR Thailand and AICHR Indonesia hosted this Dialogue with support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Following today’s discussions, a second program with participation by relevant Sectoral Bodies, UN agencies, CSOs and other stakeholders is scheduled to be held in September 2021.
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