Latest news with #ASEANHumanRightsDeclaration2012
The Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
AICHR gathers in Jakarta to boost regional human rights agenda
JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR, (Bernama) -- The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) will convene its 41st Meeting at the Asean Secretariat in Jakarta from May 12 to May 16, chaired by Datuk Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Malaysia's Representative to AICHR and the Commission's Chair for 2025, according to Malaysia's Foreign Ministry. The ministry, widely known as Wisma Putra, said Malaysia's leadership of this meeting underscores its commitment to advancing human rights promotion and protection through regional dialogue and the exploration of new avenues for collaboration. "The meeting will strengthen ASEAN-wide cooperation on human rights, bringing the region closer to the goals enshrined in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration 2012 and ASEAN's community vision,' said Wisma Putra in a statement on Monday. According to Wisma Putra, the meeting will bring together 10 AICHR Representatives/Alternate Representatives, Timor-Leste's Representative (as Observer), and officials from the Asean Secretariat. "The meeting will discuss recent human rights developments in ASEAN and the proposed Asean Declarations on the Rights to Development, Peace, and a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment,' it said. It said the meeting will also deliberate on the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (FYWP) for 2026 to 2030 and its Priority Programmes for the next year. In preparation for the 15th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) interface with AICHR scheduled for July 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, AICHR will also finalise its 2025 Annual Report to brief the AMM on its progress, challenges and future direction. Further, AICHR will hold meetings with the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR); The Working Group for an Asean Human Rights Mechanism (WGAHRM); representatives of Child Rights Coalition Asia, including children and Asean Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC); Asean University Network-Human Rights Education (AUN-HRE); and dialogue partners - Australia, Norway, Japan, the European Union, Switzerland, and the Republic of Korea - the statement said. - Bernamna
Barnama
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Malaysia Leads Push For ASEAN Declaration On Peace, Development, And Sustainability
GENERAL Undersecretary (Special Functions), High-Level Task Force ASEAN Community Post 2025 Vision, Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Jaafar (centre), AICHR Chairman and Malaysia's Representative to AICHR, Edmund Bon Tai Soon (right), and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Professor Dr Surya Deva (left), during the 2nd AICHR Consultation on the Human Right to Development to Enhance the ASEAN Community: Realising Article 35 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration 2012. KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is spearheading efforts for ASEAN to adopt a landmark declaration affirming the right to peace, development, and sustainability, aiming to strengthen human rights and build an inclusive and resilient ASEAN community. Chair of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and Malaysia's Representative to AICHR, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, said the proposed "ASEAN Declaration Promoting Peace, Inclusive Growth, Sustainable Development and the Right to Development" is expected to be tabled during the ASEAN Summit in May, alongside the adoption of ASEAN Vision 2045. 'Our focus is to link peace, development, and sustainability as interconnected rights. 'Growth must not be for its own sake but must include all people and ensure lasting peace. Malaysia is pushing for this declaration to guide ASEAN's future actions," he said at a press conference on Tuesday, after the opening of the 2nd AICHR Consultation on the Human Right to Development. When asked about ASEAN's principle of non-interference, particularly in sensitive situations such as Myanmar, Bon emphasised that humanitarian assistance must transcend political barriers. He cited Malaysia's deployment of medical teams to Sagaing in Myanmar following the recent earthquake, highlighting that assistance was provided after securing safety assurances from parties on the ground. 'This is not about interference but about humanitarian solidarity. Malaysia's position is clear: we uphold the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus and continue to advocate for peace and humanitarian access. Safe, secure conditions for aid workers must be guaranteed,' he said. Meanwhile, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, Professor Dr Surya Deva, has lauded Malaysia, the ASEAN Chair for 2025, for its efforts in driving a rights-based development agenda across the region — a move that could set a global example. 'We must not view the right to development merely in terms of economic growth or rising GDP. Rather, we should aim to create a dignified life for each and every person, without sacrificing environmental sustainability or exacerbating inequality,' he said.
Barnama
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Malaysia to Host ASEAN Human Rights Consultations to Advance Right to Development
PUTRAJAYA, April 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will host two regional consultations on human rights this week to strengthen ASEAN's commitment to a people-centred and inclusive agenda. The Foreign Ministry in a statement Sunday said the consultations, lead by Malaysia's Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Edmund Bon Tai Soon, will take place on April 28 and 29. The first consultation, the 2nd AICHR Consultation on the Human Right to Development to Enhance the ASEAN Community, to be held on April 28, will focus on realising Article 35 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration 2012, which reaffirms the right to development as a fundamental human right for all ASEAN citizens. bootstrap slideshow Subsequently, Malaysia will also host the AICHR Regional Consultation to Support the Development of the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (2026–2030) on April 29, in which this new plan will align with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the Strategic Plans of Action. 'These consultations are part of Malaysia's initiatives in the leadership of ASEAN this year and underscore AICHR's commitment to shaping a people-centred, people-oriented and forward-looking human rights agenda,' said the statement. The ministry added these consultations form part of Malaysia's broader initiatives in ASEAN this year, which carries the theme 'Inclusivity and Sustainability' and underscore the regional body's efforts to advance inclusive, sustainable, and gender-responsive programmes. These efforts aim to reduce poverty, protect human and environmental rights, and narrow development gaps across the region. The consultations will further deliberate on Malaysia's proposal for an ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development. The proposal promotes an ASEAN-led, ASEAN-owned, whole-of-ASEAN approach to human rights, ensuring the right to development is not sidelined but championed at the highest level, the ministry added.
