AICHR hosts dialogue on protection of rights of women and children in ASEAN
JAKARTA, 3 September 2023 – The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) conducted the AICHR Cross-Sectoral Dialogue on the Effective Implementation of ASEAN Commitments on Human Rights of Women and Children on 25 August 2023 at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The main purpose of the dialogue was to consult the ASEAN Sectoral Bodies on their contributions and the challenges they face in promoting and protecting the rights of women and children in ASEAN. The dialogue also explored possible mechanisms for inter-sectoral cooperation to strengthen the protection framework for women and children in ASEAN.
In her opening remark, the Chair and Representative of Indonesia to AICHR Ms. Wahyuningrum underscored the commitment of AICHR to promote the implementation of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) including Article 4 on the rights of women and the rights of children. The dialogue was also meant to discuss the implementation of the agreed recommendation from the 2015 AICHR’s Exploratory Strategy Paper on Human Rights Protection Mechanisms for Women & Girls in the Southeast Asian Region.
The dialogue was chaired by AICHR and attended by 50 participants from ASEAN Sectoral bodies from three ASEAN Communities, such as the ASEAN Senior Official Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD), ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW), ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM), ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW), ASEAN Defence Senior Official Meeting (ADSOM), ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting (ASLOM), and ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (SOM-AMAF). The ASEAN Entities, such as the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR) and the ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly (AIPA) also participated in the Dialogue.
The dialogue took note of the enablers and the progress in realising the rights of women and children in order to fully utilise various instruments that all ASEAN Member States are party to such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The dialogue also took note of the extensive work of the ACW and ACWC and the evolutionary approach of AICHR in promoting and protecting human rights in ASEAN.
Going forward, the dialogue drew up possible next steps for AICHR such as the regular conduct of a similar initiative to continue dialogue on the protection of the rights of women and children in ASEAN, launch of activities to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Sectoral Bodies on the implementation of the rights of women and the rights of children, and to develop an annual report of the collection of best practices as presented by ASEAN Sectoral Bodies on the effective implementation of the rights of women and children in ASEAN.
This activity is jointly organised by AICHR Indonesia and the Philippines as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.