JAKARTA, 18 April 2022 – ASEAN accelerates its efforts in promoting and protecting the rights of women and children with an inclusive, gender equal, safe and resilient future for ASEAN Community in mind.
The 24th Meeting of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was convened via video conference, presided by Cambodia’s ACWC Representative for Women’s Rights, Hou Nirmita, as the Chair of the ACWC.
Through the ACWC, ASEAN reaffirms its commitment to promote and protect human rights and realise gender equality and social inclusion, especially for women and children in high risks amidst the global social and economic challenges and downturns resulting from the COVID-19 crisis.
“Inspired by the theme of Cambodia’s 2022 ASEAN Chairpersonship, ‘ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together’, the ACWC continues to strengthen cooperation and partnerships, forging ahead with the implementation of the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025 with impactful outcomes and long-term benefits for the women and children of ASEAN,” said Nirmita.
At the meeting, ACWC Representatives from all ten ASEAN Member States deliberated on pivotal pathways to step up the implementation of planned regional initiatives in the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025 through agile and meaningful engagement with long-standing partners and key stakeholders.
The ASEAN Regional Plan of Action (RPA) on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the ASEAN RPA on the Elimination of Violence against Children (ASEAN RPA on EVAC) were given utmost attention.
In particular, the meeting identified the needed support to roll-out the RPA for the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN, and the RPA on Implementing the ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Children in the Context of Migration, noted by the ASEAN Leaders at the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits in November 2021.
The ACWC’s contributions to cross-sectoral and inter-pillar collaboration that impact the lives of women and children are crucial for the whole-of ASEAN approach to promote human rights and advance gender equality and social inclusion. ACWC supports relevant regional initiatives, particularly in the areas of sustainable development; women, peace and security; trafficking in persons; child labor and exploitation; disability-inclusion; culture of prevention; as well as ASEAN’s recovery and resilience-building efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
More importantly, the ACWC steers the gender-mainstreaming agenda through the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework that was launched in January this year, together with the ASEAN Committee on Women co-leading its implementation.
Encouraged by progress made by the ASEAN Member States, the ACWC reaffirms its stronger commitment to support ongoing initiatives to advance the rights of women and children in the following key outputs’ priorities, namely ending bullying of children; recognition of the legal identity of all women and children; gender-sensitive approaches in counter-human trafficking; climate actions; the use of VAW data for advocacy and capacity-building; and the rights of women offenders and women prisoners; among others.
In collaboration with strategic partners and other key stakeholders, the ACWC remains steadfast in attaining its set goals and targets in the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025. On this, the ACWC recognised the support from partners who joined the Open Session of the 24th ACWC meeting, namely UNICEF, UN Women, ILO, Embassy of Switzerland to Indonesia, Timor-Leste and ASEAN, and Thailand Institute of Justice.
The ACWC is encouraged by the guidance from Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children (SRSG-VAC), during the open session. The SRSG-VAC commended ACWC’s continued efforts to implement the ASEAN RPA on EVAC, shared updates on the SRSG-VAC mandate’s activities and priorities and encouraged strengthening collaboration between the Office of the SRSG-VAC and the ACWC in the implementation of the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025.
Overall, these efforts are keeping the momentum and pushing boundaries towards achieving ACWC’s vision of an empowered and safe ASEAN Community where women and children’s rights are promoted, protected and fulfilled by 2025 and beyond.
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