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โ€˜Still Window-dressingโ€™: Civil Society Launches Third Performance Report on the AICHR

FORUM-ASIA (The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development) and Peopleโ€™s Empowerment Foundation (PEF) yesterday launched the Performance Report on the third year of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), in Holiday Inn Hotel โ€“ Silom, Bangkok. This report follows two previous annual reports prepared by a network of civil society organizations in ASEAN region called Solidarity for Asian Peopleโ€™s Advocacy โ€“ Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TFAHR).

Entitled โ€œStill Window-dressingโ€, the report provides comprehensive information on and a critical assessment of the work of the AICHR from 2011 until 2012. FORUM-ASIA as the convenor of SAPA TFAHR views this report as one of the advocacy tools for strengthening this ASEAN human rights body. โ€œWe hope that through this regular assessment, civil society can contribute to strengthening the AICHR and help it become an independent and effective body that will protect and ensure human rights in ASEANโ€, said Atnike Nova Sigiro (FORUM-ASIA Program Manager on ASEAN Advocacy). However, the report finds that the AICHRโ€™s work is still very limited and therefore its impact on the life of the people of ASEAN has been minimal. She continued, โ€œThat is why it civil society view that the AICHR so far โ€˜Still a Window-dressingโ€™ for ASEAN on its commitment towards human rightsโ€

Chalida Tajaroensuk, a human rights activist from PEF-Thailand, stated that, โ€œCivil society organizations in Thailand and other ASEAN countries have been actively pushing for greater participation of civil society organization. Critical assessment is one of the things that CSOs do, but we also give concrete input to the AICHR on many aspects of its work.โ€

The researcher of this report, Shiwei Ye, pointed out that the report is made based on information from different formal and also informal sources from ASEAN, AICHR, and also civil society organization. He said, โ€œIt was a challenging work to gather all of this input, since much of the official information regarding the work of the AICHR is not available through official sources such as the websites of ASEAN and the AICHRโ€. The Performance Report strongly recommends that the AICHR become transparent and inclusive in its work, including by publishing all relevant information such as documents and its agenda of activities on its official website.

Commenting on the AICHRโ€™s main activity during the period, the drafting of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, Dr. Yuval Ginbar, Legal Adviser for Amnesty International, said: โ€œThe Performance Report shows that the drafting process was secretive, with civil society being brought in too late in the process to have any meaningful effect. Decision-making in the AICHR was based on a consensus approach that gave veto powers to those with the most regressive positions. The result was a deeply flawed Declaration subjugating all human rights to overarching limitations, balancing exercises and so-called national and regional contexts. This means in effect that the Declaration prioritizes government powers over human rights.โ€

Additional Information

Country: Association of South East Asian Nations
Website: http://www.aseanaffairs.com/asean_analysis_21_june_2013/still_window_dressing_civil_society_launches_third_performance_report_on_the_aichr
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Source: Forum Asia
When: 26/6/2013

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