Latest news with #AseanHumanRightsDeclaration
The Star
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
AICHR aims for historic adoption of two human rights declarations under Malaysia's leadership
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is aiming for a landmark achievement this year: the adoption of two major declarations on human rights under Malaysia's chairmanship. Malaysia's Representative to AICHR, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, said one focuses on climate change, while the other centres on the right to development and peace. 'If we are able to do it this year, it would be the first time in 13 years that Asean adopts two human rights declarations in a single year,' he told reporters after the Interface Between Asean Foreign Ministers and AICHR Representatives here on Tuesday (July 8). The proposals, which have been in negotiation for years, are expected to be tabled for adoption at the Asean Summit this October, he said. If adopted, Bon said they would mark Asean's first new human rights declaration since the 2012 Asean Human Rights Declaration, also spearheaded during Malaysia's chairmanship. The first was the Asean Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, proposed in response to growing regional threats from climate change and displacement. 'Climate change in our region is very serious. There are a lot of displaced persons, a lot of climate refugees. 'This declaration, which Malaysia is leading, has received strong support. 'If adopted, it will give people in Asean a basis to claim their environmental rights,' he said. Bon explained that the draft includes core principles such as public participation in environmental decisions, access to justice for pollution victims and the right to freedom of information. 'It's not just about environmental protection. It's about embedding human rights into how we govern environmental issues,' he added. The second proposed declaration centres on the right to development and the right to peace, promoting inclusive and sustainable development that encompasses political, economic, social and cultural dimensions. Bon said the right to development was a unique Asean contribution to human rights, as it is not explicitly featured in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 'This right is already in the Asean Human Rights Declaration, but now we're expanding it into a full declaration. 'This will be for everyone in Asean, not just about economic growth, but about inclusive and people-centred development,' he said. Alongside the two declarations, AICHR was also calling for the establishment of a structured framework - or 'template' - for Asean's collective response to internal and regional conflicts, such as the protracted crisis in Myanmar. 'At the moment, Asean's responses to conflicts are very ad hoc. What we need is an institutionalised approach - a common Asean framework that guides how we respond when there's a crisis or hotspot,' said Bon. He said AICHR has begun a series of workshops to develop this mechanism, which would serve as a go-to guide for future Asean envoys and member states alike. 'It's not just for Myanmar, but for any future hotspot in the region. It must be Asean-owned, not externally imposed, and built from within existing Asean mechanisms,' Bon said. He stressed that the framework would help ensure a consistent and principled Asean approach to both intra- and inter-state issues. Separately, Malaysia was also proposing for Nov 18 to be designated as Asean Human Rights Day, to commemorate the date the Asean Human Rights Declaration was adopted in 2012. 'Just like how Dec 10 is recognised globally as International Human Rights Day, we're suggesting that Asean commemorates Nov 18 as our own human rights day. 'It's been 13 years since the declaration. This is the time to affirm our commitment,' he said.
Straits Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Singapore can do more to cut emissions, protect nature and safeguard human rights: UN expert
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment Astrid Puentes Riano, alongside human rights officer Viktoria Aberg at the Park Regis by Prince Singapore on May 23. ST PHOTO: SHABANA BEGUM Singapore can do more to cut emissions, protect nature and safeguard human rights: UN expert SINGAPORE - Singapore has made notable contributions to the global environmental movement, but it can do more to reduce its planet-warming emissions, protect nature and safeguard human rights, said a UN environment expert on May 23. Speaking at the end of a 10-day trip to Singapore, Ms Astrid Puentes Riano, the UN special rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, said: 'Considering the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and toxic pollution, Singapore can and must increase efforts to reduce demand of energy, water and resources.' Ms Puentes Riano said that despite its small size, Singapore has played a leadership role on the world stage, helping to advance a number of multilateral treaties, such as those on environmental protection and human rights. For example, Singapore had in 1982 helped to broker an agreement among countries on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea – which governs all uses of the oceans and their resources. The country also adopted the Asean Human Rights Declaration in 2012. But she said that while Singapore has helped to advance these declarations, the country also has to ensure that these efforts are adequately implemented in the country, added the special rapporteur, who is from the Latin American country of Colombia . On climate change, Ms Puentes Riano noted that Singapore contributes just 0.1 per cent of global carbon emissions. But the average amount of carbon dioxide emitted by each person here remains significant, she said, pointing to how Singapore ranks 20th globally in terms of emissions per capita, based on a review of 156 countries or territories. Along with high consumption-related emissions, Ms Puentes Riano - who is making her first trip as special rapporteur since her appointment in 2024 - said these present 'a significant space for improvement.' Beyond reducing reliance on natural gas, which accounts for about 95 per cent of the country's electricity production, it is equally important for people in Singapore to reduce the demand for energy and water here, she said at a press conference held at the Park Regis by Prince Singapore hotel to mark the end of her trip. About 10 per cent of the global population is consuming and responsible for over half of carbon emissions, she added. 'We can't continue with these levels of consumption. Singapore has a huge opportunity, because being one of the wealthiest countries in the world... there is a lot of space to not only think about economic growth as unlimited, but also consider the planetary boundaries,' Ms Puentes Riano said. The UN has several special rapporteurs who are independent human rights experts appointed to report and advise on a range of issues, from cultural rights to human rights in the Palestinian territories. As UN special rapporteur on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Ms Puentes Riano's role includes promoting good practices in areas such as air quality, waste management and biodiversity, and identifying challenges. During her visit to Singapore from May 14 to May 23, Ms Puentes Riano met with Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, as well as representatives from several environment-related ministries, government agencies, a High Court judge and some MPs. She also had engagements with civil society and academics, and visited places such as the TuasOne Waste-to-Energy Incineration plant, Sisters' Islands Marine Park and Jurong Island, the country's petrochemical hub. On nature, Ms Puentes Riano noted that Singapore has lost most of its tropical primary forest and a 'significant portion of its biodiversity, due to urban expansion and development'. But the Government has rolled out initiatives to address the nature loss, she acknowledged. These include the designation of a marine park, the OneMillionTrees planting initiative, and other efforts to help wildlife species, including the once-extinct otters and hornbills, thrive. However, care needs to be taken to ensure natural ecosystems are looked after even as the country continues to develop, she said. Giving the example of the future Long Island project, which involves reclaiming land at higher levels off East Coast and placing them in the form of islands to protect the coastline from sea-level rise, Ms Puentes Riano said: 'It is of great importance to prevent and minimise impacts of ecosystems including in the face of new and upcoming projects such as the Long Island project. 'Impacts on the marine ecosystems need to be adequately assessed and prevented, as damage to ecosystems can be irreversible,' she added. Singapore can also ensure that its development does not come at the expense of nature loss elsewhere, Ms Puentes Riano added. Reclamation projects need to be accountable for the impacts on the source countries that land materials come from, and developers should prevent and reduce reclamation's impact on the Republic and abroad, she stressed. She added that findings from all environmental impact assessments (EIA) should be publicly available, and this, alongside public engagements, should be coded into law. Singapore has guidelines about when an EIA should be done, such as if proposed developments are close to sensitive nature areas, but has no EIA law. She added: 'One of the gaps here is that there is a lack of clarity about when EIAs are done, when are they published, what is published? There's no clarity about whether all the environmental assessment done is published... and what are the stages? 'A key aspect is to make sure is that in all of these assessments, incorporate climate and human rights perspectives.' The UN expert also urged the Singapore Government to be more inclusive in engaging the public on environment matters, even as she noted that such consultations have increased over the last decade. 'I received information that people, including youth, have been excluded from participation in certain processes due to what might be seen as diverging opinions,' she said in a 10-page statement, without giving specific examples. 'It is important that the government continues its effort to increase participation to receive feedback and explain its decisions while keeping spaces for dialogue open.' Following her visit, Ms Puentes Riano will work on a full report with a more detailed and comprehensive analysis of her visit, including recommendations on how to improve the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in Singapore, and this will be presented to the UN in March 2026. This is the first visit to Singapore in a decade by a UN human rights expert, and Ms Puentes Riano, an environmental and climate justice lawyer based in Mexico, was invited by the Singapore Government. In 2016, Ms Rosa Kornfeld-Matte – then UN independent expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons – visited Singapore on a similar mission, but focused on the ageing population. Ms Puentes Riano's visit coincided with a meeting by the Asean human rights commission in Jakarta, held from May 12 to 16. The commission agreed on text for the landmark Asean Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment. This non-binding declaration will pave the way for countries in the region to promote and fulfill environmental human rights, in a period when environmental degradation and climate change impacts are worsening. It will cover people's access to justice when environmental rights are violated, and protect green advocates. Singapore reaffirms commitment to hearing diverse perspectives Singapore is committed to incorporating diverse perspectives on the public engagement process, while ensuring that it remains constructive, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on May 23, at the end of the 10-day visit by Ms Puentes Riano. 'Ms Puentes Riano noted that spaces for engagement in Singapore have increased in the last decade,' said the MFA spokesman. 'She noted the various mechanisms Singapore has established for citizen engagement and our commitment to balancing the range of views and concerns of stakeholders.' He added that Singapore thanks Ms Puentes Riano for her visit and sharing her perspectives. The spokesman added: 'We had open and constructive discussions with a view to deepening mutual understanding, even if there were different perspectives on some issues. We will study and consider her recommendations carefully. We look forward to reading her full report in due course.' On climate matters, the MFA said Ms Puentes Riano recognised Singapore's raised climate ambition in its 2035 climate targets, as well as being the first South-east Asian nation to implement a carbon tax. Singapore pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to between 45 million and 50 million tonnes by 2035, down from around 60m million tonnes in 2030, with the planned decline in emissions on a linear trajectory. 'We reaffirmed our strong commitment to addressing climate change and shared our challenges including our lack of alternative energy options and carbon sinks, and the need to rely on technology and international cooperation to overcome our constraints to fully decarbonise,' said MFA. Ms Puentes Riano and Dr Balakrishnan also discussed Singapore's approach to environmental sustainability as a small, densely populated city-state, as well as the need to balance competing needs in the county's efforts to 'build a liveable, sustainable, socially inclusive and economically vibrant country'. 'We appreciate Ms Puentes Riano's recognition that planning is a key feature of the Singapore Government's policy approach,' the ministry spokesman added. MFA added that the special rapporteur took note of Singapore's long-term, science-based approach to sustainable development – one that seeks to secure the well-being of both present and future generations, and ensure the responsible stewardship of our resources. She also commended Singapore's whole-of-nation approach and close inter-agency coordination as a key strength in advancing our goals, MFA said. Shabana Begum is a correspondent, with a focus on environment and science, at The Straits Times. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
