AICHR, AUN-HRE hold regional colloquium on human rights, award student essays
BANGKOK, 21 December 2022 – The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) held the “Regional Colloquium on ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD): Ten Years On” on 13 December. The event was conducted in collaboration with the ASEAN University Network – Human Rights Education (AUN-HRE), the Strengthening Human Rights and Peace Research and Education in ASEAN/Southeast Asia (SHAPE-SEA), and the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP) of Mahidol University
Part of AICHR’s priority programmes, the event provides a platform for undergraduate students to express their views, enhance their interest and awareness, and analyse the current state of human rights and peace in the region through the colloquium and an essay writing competition prior to the event. The initiative also aims to strengthen the ASEAN Member States’ commitment to youth engagement in ASEAN Community-building.
The student essay writing competition was held from July to September with the theme “ASEAN Human Rights Declaration: Ten Years On”. Over 170 essays were submitted by undergraduate students from Southeast Asia. Following the review process by the expert panel, five winners were selected:
1st Prize: Kevin M. Maralit, University of the Philippines Diliman
2nd Prize: Stanislaus Demokrasi Sandywan, University of Indonesia
3rd Prize: Angelo Obina, De La Salle University
3rd Prize: Francine Ann Latigo, De La Salle University
Popular Prize: Nada Safira, Andalas University
At the colloquium, the winners had the opportunity to share their voice in a panel discussion along with AICHR representatives and human rights experts. The panel discussed the impact of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration to the lives of ASEAN citizens during its first ten years of adoption and the ways forward to further raise awareness and improve the protection of human rights in the region.
More than 120 participants, including undergraduate students and representatives from the ASEAN Member States, joined the event in-person and online.
