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Information regarding the review of the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), 2014
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AICHR TERMS OF REFERENCE REVIEW AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION IN ASEAN
Yuyun WahyuningrumSenior Advisor on ASEAN and Human RightsHuman Rights Working Group (Indonesia)E: [email protected]
30 June 2014
Review and Amendment of the AICHR’s Terms of Reference (TOR)
To review the TOR• Para 9.6 stipulates, “This TOR shall be
initially reviewed five years after its entry into force. This review and subsequent reviews shall be undertaken by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, with a view to further enhancing the promotion and protection of human rights within ASEAN.”
• Para 9.7. “the AICHR shall assess its work and submit recommendations for the consideration of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting on future efforts that could be undertaken in the promotion and protection of human rights within ASEAN consistent with the principles and purposes of the ASEAN Charter and this TOR”
To amend the TOR• Para 9.2. “Any Member State may
submit a formal request for an amendment of this TOR”.
• Para 9.3. “The request for amendment shall be considered by the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN in consultation with the AICHR, and presented to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting for approval.”
• Para 9.4. “Such amendments shall enter into force upon the approval of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting.”
• Para 9.5. “Such amendments shall not prejudice the rights and obligations arising from or based on this TOR before or up to the date of such amendments.”
Cha-am Hua-Hin Declaration on the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
• Paragraph 7: • “...the TOR of the AICHR shall be reviewed every five
years after its entry into force to strengthen the mandate and functions of the AICHR in order to further develop mechanisms on both the protection and promotion of human rights. This review and subsequent reviews shall be undertaken by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting.”
REVIEW versus AMENDMENT
Review
• The Review will be conducted by ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
• The Purpose of the Review is to further enhancing the promotion and protection of human rights within ASEAN
• AICHR should a) assess its work and b) submit the recommendations for the consideration of ASEAN Ministers Meeting
Amendment
• It is the Member State that may submit a formal request for an amendment of the TOR
• CPR should discuss the request in consultation with the AICHR, and present it to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting for approval
• Amendments shall enter into force upon the approval of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
CSO’s Role in the TOR’s Review and Amendment
AICHR AMM
CPRMember States
CSO
Date/Venue AICHR’s Plan What CSO can do8-9 March 2014, Jakarta
AICHR Special Meeting on Assessing TOR Review
Submit CSO’s assessment on the work of AICHR
28 April 2014, Jakarta
Consultation with stakeholders on the review of the TOR of AICHR
29 April 2014, Jakarta
Consultation with ASEAN with CSOs Participate. Inputs.Each country will have 5 representatives
27-28 June 2014, Bangkok
Regional Consultation with other Regional Human Rights Commissions, UN, CSOs, & human rights experts
Inputs to the respective invitees
10-11 July, Singapore
Special AICHR Meeting – to consolidate input from consultations and finalize the AICHR submission to ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
Inputs to the respective invitees
3-8 August 2014, NPT
47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Inputs to AMM
8 August 2014, NPT
AICHR meets AMM on TOR Review
Timeline in AICHR
What we don’t know now• What AICHR going to include in their proposal to AMM in
term of assessment and recommendation for the review?• Whether AICHR going to share their note to public?• What recommendation to be included and not by AMM?• Modalities in AMM
• AMM may establish a High Level Panel/Working Group• AMM may appoint SOM to do the review• AMM may revert it back to AICHR
• The Timeline?
CSO’s Assessment during the 1st AICHR Consultation, 29/04 & 28-29/06, 2014
• Lack of protection mandate and absence of dedicated secretariat with human rights expertise are the main hindrances to AICHR’s work.
• Furthermore, AICHR has not been able to perform its functions regarding the• Establishment of institutionalized relationship with stakeholders including the
civil society and NHRIs (Art. 4.8, and 4.9), • Collection of information on the promotion and protection of human rights by
ASEAN member-states (Art. 4.10), • Lobby ASEAN member-states on ratification or accession to international
human rights conventions (Art. 4.5), • Full implementation of the ASEAN human rights-related instruments (Art. 4.6), • Advisory and technical assistance to ASEAN sectoral bodies (Art. 4.7), and • Development of common approaches and position on human rights (Art. 4.11);
CSO’s Assessment during the 1st AICHR Consultation, 29 April 2014
• There has been a contradiction between the international definition of the principles of rule of law, good governance, respect for fundamental freedoms, sovereignty and the non-interference doctrine, on the one hand, and their formulation in ASEAN documents on the other hand.
• The continuing lack of respect for human rights and impunity has undermined the effort to make the ASEAN human rights standards at par with the international standards;
• Inaccessibility at both national and regional levels create gaps in the understanding of the role of regional human rights mechanisms in ASEAN;
• Lack of transparency in the work of AICHR;• Dominance of appointed representatives, rather than those domestically
selected, that contributes to the lack of independence of AICHR.
CSO/NHRI Recommendations• Widening the existing mandates, emphasizing on protection• Creatively interpret the current mandates• AICHR to strengthening the national mechanisms on human rights –
AICHR should consider NHRI as partner• Establishing complaint mechanisms, precautionary measures,
country visits, country peer-reviews; and having communication strategy and alliance with the media
• Guidelines - for the AHRD, and Guiding observations to the TOR interpretation
• Work closely with parliamentarians to encourage the ratification and acceding the international standards
• Institutional stakeholders’ engagements, more dialogue with key actors: CSO, NHRI, UN agencies
• More transparency, accountability, respect freedom of information
CSO/NHRI Recommendations• Make the rights of vulnerable groups prominent in its
programs;• Give more attention to inter-generational rights regarding
sustainable development;• Make its website accessible to persons with disabilities or
migrant workers;• Raise the awareness of the people in ASEAN and have more
training activities involving stakeholders;• Engage civil society more actively in the decision-making
process, and open space for stakeholder participation at the national and regional levels;
• Adopt creative ways to overcome the difficulty of having a consensus;
History CSO Advocacy in ASEANWithin all limitation in ASEAN: History of civil society engagement with ASEAN. It is
a journey of believing that engagement can make change.
History of national political opening contribute to the political space at regional level.
History of democracy movements in ASEAN countries. The opening political spaces at the national level impact the situation at the regional level.
History of interaction between national and international efforts and dialogue on human rights.
Journey of believing that a human rights commission can be created in context of the region with no respect of values of democracy and human rights.
AICHR after five years
• The creation of AICHR is a step towards cooperation on human rights. It demonstrates that ASEAN integration is not always about economic cooperation.
• Generate human rights debates in ASEAN• Generate civil society movement on human rights
in ASEAN, both thematic-based or general issues• Generate interests from other neighbor sub-region
to establish similar mechanisms• Generate cooperation and dialogue on human
rights between ASEAN and its dialogue partners
AICHR after five years• Human Rights Dialogue (25 June 2013): Government of Indonesia invited
AICHR Representatives on Human Rights Dialogue to hear its report on human rights situation, its challenges and possible with AICHR in the future. The Government of Thailand has agreed to be the State to Report to AICHR on its human rights situation in August 2014
• AICHR-CPR joint-collaboration to have a public discussion during the 46th ASEAN Anniversary (August 2013) in ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta taking the theme “Community Building through the Implementation of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD)”
• AICHR Thailand initiative on visiting Klongprem Central Prison (November 2013) to observe detention and treatment of female, child and undocumented migrants facilities
• Held a retreat in May 2013 to talk about country’s human rights situation: Laos
(on S. Somphone) and Myanmar (on Rohingya).
AICHR after five years• AICHR Indonesia’s initiative to hold the annual Jakarta Human Rights
Dialogue as a venue for human rights stakeholders to discuss different topics on human rights: ASEAN Charter review and its implication to human rights architecture (2012), prevention of torture (2013) and death penalty (2014). Thailand will host similar initiative in November 2014 on Bangkok Human Rights Dialogue with the theme on access to justice.
• AICHR’s Stakeholders meetings/consultations took place from 2012-2014
• (On-going) AICHR Guideline in engaging civil society groups.
• Studies: CSR and human rights, migration and human rights, right to peace, trafficking in persons
• Country Visit 2014 – Indonesia• Engagement with International and regional human rights institutions
AICHR after five years• Generated more discussion in both bilateral and multilateral relations
among states in ASEAN and also with Dialogue Partners as well as among civil society in the region.
• Civil society groups are more organized in addressing issues both generally or thematically on human rights, especially to voice for the voiceless, promote social cohesion and equality, strengthen social capacities, advocate for ASEAN reform, ensure that ASEAN is accountable, and act as an important check-and-balance for the promotion and protection of human rights in the region.
• The growing activism of civil society organisations has been contesting the ASEAN’s way of human rights socialisation, especially on holding non-interference and the rejection to the inclusion of self-determination in AHRD.
• The space/platform to debate human rights publicly in the region is gradually opened up
CSO Platforms in engaging ASEAN in the last ten years
Name frequent Engaging the bodyACSC/APF annually ASEAN SUMMIT Head of
States/Governments
ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF) annually
ASEAN Youth Forum annually
ASEAN Grass-root People Assembly annually
ASEAN Community Dialogue annually ASEAN Committee Permanent Representatives (CPR)
CPR
Civil Society Forum to AMM on human rights
annually ASEAN Ministers Meeting (AMM) Foreign Ministers
Informal Dialogue between CSO and ASG
annually ASEAN Secretary General (ASG) Secretary General
Jakarta Human Rights Dialogue in ASEAN
annually ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms
AICHR, ACWC
GO-NGO Forum on Social Welfare & Development
annually ASEAN Senior Official Meeting on SWD
SOM officials