Paris-Bangkok, 6 March 2012. The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) will meet in Jakarta this week to continue the drafting of a new human rights instrument, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD). Up to now, this drafting process has been characterized by opacity, absence of broad engagement with civil society, and fears that this declaration may contradict international human rights standards. The eventual text is expected to be adopted by ASEAN leaders at the Summit in November 2012 in Phnom Penh.

Jakarta 05.05.11: The 2011 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Civil Society Conference and ASEAN People’s Forum (ACSC/APF), which took place in Jakarta from 3 – 5 May, brought together 1,330 civil society activists from around the world to discuss the main human rights concerns affecting the region. During the meeting, ARTICLE 19 joined regional civil society representatives in urging ASEAN to enhance its own transparency and provide greater access to information.

At the invitation of the Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and their representatives met in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 22 February 2011. The Secretary-General of ASEAN also participated in the meeting.

One year since the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was inaugurated in on 23 October 2009, we, the Solidarity for Asian Peoples’ Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TF-AHR), have prepared a report to review the performance of the AICHR in its first year, as part of our commitment to follow up and push forward the improvement of human rights in ASEAN. Our review encompasses several dimensions: the AICHR’s core documents, structure, institution building, implementation, handling of cases, and external relations.