Joint Press Release – 5th Interface Meeting between the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC)
11 December 2025, videoconference – The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) convened their 5th Interface Meeting on 11 December 2025. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Edmund Bon Tai Soon, AICHR Chair and Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, and attended by AICHR Representatives/Alternate Representatives and ACWC Representatives for Women’s Rights and Children’s Rights led by H.E. Wan Noraidah Wan Mohd Zain, ACWC Chair and Representative of Malaysia to ACWC (Children’s Rights), and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat. For the first time, Representatives of Timor-Leste participated as full members of AICHR and ACWC in the interface following Timor-Leste’s admission to ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025.
The regular interface continued AICHR and ACWC’s constructive cooperation on the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children in the region. Over more than two hours, Representatives engaged in an open and robust exchange of views to advance shared human rights priorities and to discuss emerging developments and ongoing challenges in ASEAN. Matters discussed included the rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, women prisoners, and people in vulnerable and marginalised situations; online harms against women and children; digital rights; the prevention of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse; the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment; climate change; access to remedies and justice; trafficking in persons; economic empowerment; the right to education, including human rights education; and poverty eradication, among others.
AICHR and ACWC also provided updates on their respective work in promoting and protecting human rights, including initiatives including on women, peace and security; progress on the draft ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (ASEAN RPA on EVAW) 2026-2035, draft ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children (ASEAN RPA on EVAC) 2026-2035, and draft ASEAN Guidance Note on Disability Inclusion in Violence Against Women and Girls Policies and Programs.
The Meeting discussed possible follow-up actions to the recently adopted ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, and ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and the Right to Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development.
It was noted that positive progress has been made by ASEAN in enhancing inclusivity across its programmes, particularly through the direct participation of children and youth at the 2nd Interface Meeting between AICHR and the Child Rights Coalition Asia, held together with ACWC representatives on 15 May 2025 at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.
Potential areas of collaboration explored during the Meeting included undertaking a stocktaking exercise to improve the work alignment of AICHR and ACWC consistent with ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future; establishing protection pathways for violence prevention; promoting human rights education; deepening technical expertise and advisory services on key human rights issues; enhancing coordination through intersectoral mechanisms and modalities; convening high-level dialogues on gender mainstreaming and inclusion in the implementation of the ASEAN RPA on EVAW and ASEAN RPA on EVAC; enhancing the gender-responsive treatment of women prisoners in ASEAN; building capacity for effective civil registration and vital statistics for women and children in ASEAN; and advancing gender equality and social inclusion in climate action planning, among others. AICHR’s Priority Programme 2026, “2nd ASEAN Cross-Sectoral Dialogue between AICHR, ACWC and relevant ASEAN Sectoral Bodies on the Effective Implementation of ASEAN Commitments on Human Rights of Women and Children: Deepening Protection for Groups in Vulnerable and Marginalised Situations” was an activity proposed to be co-organised between AICHR and ACWC.
Representatives looked forward to convening the 6th Interface Meeting in 2026 and expressed their appreciation to AICHR Malaysia and the ASEAN Secretariat for their support and facilitation of the 5th meeting arrangements.
