Press Release – 40th Meeting and Retreat of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) convened its 40th Meeting from 11 to 14 February 2025 in Langkawi, Malaysia. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Chair of AICHR in 2025 and Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, and attended by AICHR Representatives and Alternate Representatives, including Timor-Leste as Observer. The Meeting was also participated by the ASEAN Secretariat.
Malaysia assumed the AICHR Chairmanship for 2025, with H.E. Edmund Bon Tai Soon highlighting the ASEAN theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability” in the first 2025 meeting of AICHR. He emphasised the need for an ASEAN-led, ASEAN-owned, and whole-of-ASEAN approach to advance peace, inclusive growth, and sustainable development.
AICHR deliberated on the progress implementation of the FYWP 2021-2025 and its 2025 Priority Programmes/Activities, with a particular focus on thematic areas such as environmental rights, business and human rights, digital rights, countering human trafficking and violent extremism, rights of persons with disabilities, right to development, and implementation of human rights treaties that the ASEAN Member States are parties to, among others.
AICHR also deliberated on the proposed ASEAN declaration related to the right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment towards progressing it as tasked by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) in its 57th Meeting’s Joint Communique 2024. In addition, Malaysia introduced a proposal for an ASEAN declaration promoting peace, inclusive growth, sustainable development and the right to development, aligning with the theme of Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025.
The Meeting received updates from AICHR Representatives and Alternate Representatives on recent human rights developments across ASEAN, including new national laws, regulations and initiatives in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
AICHR also adopted the Thematic Study on the Right to Peace, led by Lao PDR, and agreed for the report to be made available on the AICHR website and other reports that are outcomes of AICHR programmes. The study can inspire the work for peace with a higher mission to advance a culture of peace and human rights.
On institutional matters, AICHR discussed the overall assessment of its work over the past 15 years and AICHR’s past self-assessments. These discussions aimed to formulate recommendations to the AMM on AICHR’s future priorities for the next five years.
A Retreat among AICHR Representatives and Alternate Representatives deliberated various AICHR priority areas during Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025, including the proposed ASEAN declaration related to the right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment.
In parallel, the Working Group for the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (WG-FYWP) convened its first meeting on 11 February 2025, agreeing on a revised timeline for the meetings of WG-FYWP and to preliminarily populate the indicative activities for the new FYWP. Updates were presented to AICHR Representatives and Alternate Representatives.
Preceding the 40th Meeting of AICHR, AICHR held the Transition Workshop on 10 February 2025, themed “Building better and stronger, and staying relevant, inclusive, innovative and people-centred”, to facilitate the transition of outgoing AICHR Representatives (2022-2024) and incoming AICHR Representatives (2025-2027).
The Meeting expressed its appreciation to AICHR Malaysia and the ASEAN Secretariat for the excellent meeting arrangements.
