Who We Are
The Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (“Working Group”) is an informal coalition of individuals and groups from the Southeast Asian region, working in the field of human rights.
Its primary objective is the establishment and development of credible and effective human rights mechanisms in Southeast Asia.
It is organized into National Working Groups (“NWGs”). The composition of each NWG varies from one country to another depending on the national situation. Members of the Working Group come from government institutions, parliamentary human rights committees, National Human Rights Institutions (“NHRIs”), the academe, and NGOs. At present, there are NWGs in seven ASEAN Member States: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism is an “Entity Associated with ASEAN” under Annex II of the ASEAN Charter.
Working Group for ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism Timeline
2019
The Working Group met with the ASEAN SOM to discuss amendments to the AICHR TOR and modalities for amendments.
2015
The Working Group met with the High Level Task Force on ASEAN Community’s Post-2015 Vision at Singapore.
2012
ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Declaration details ASEAN Member-States commitment to human rights and affirm that human rights belong to “every person,” specifically emphasizing that they belong to “women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrant workers, and vulnerable and marginalized groups. It also affirms all the civil and political rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
2012 – present
The Working Group has continued to periodically meet with ASEAN through the ASEAN Senior Officials (SOM) and the AICHR.
- 2014 – met with the ASEAN SOM Chair on the occasion of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (Naypyitaw, Myanmar)
- 2015 – met with the ASEAN SOM Chair on the occasion of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
- 2016 – met with the ASEAN SOM Chair on the occasion of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (Vientiane, Lao P.D.R.)
- 2017 – met with the ASEAN SOM Chair on the occasion of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (Manila, Philippines)
2010-2011
The Working Group engages with the AICHR on the drafting of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.