Joint Press Release – The 8th Interface Meeting between the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the European Union (EU), 14 May 2025, ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat
The 8th Interface Meeting between the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the European Union (EU) was held on 14 May 2025 at the ASEAN Headquarters/ASEAN Secretariat.
The AICHR was led by the Chair, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, while Ambassador Sujiro Seam, the EU Ambassador to ASEAN headed the EU delegation. The meeting was attended by Representatives and Alternate Representatives of the AICHR, including Timor-Leste as Observer, officials from the EU Mission to ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat.
AICHR Representatives/Alternate Representatives shared information on their respective human rights work and initiatives. Thematic areas discussed included the rights to development, peace, and a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, digital rights, sustainable connectivity, rights of vulnerable groups, and business and human rights.
The EU highlighted joint efforts undertaken by AICHR and the EU and the collaborative work and partnership to deliver on joint priorities identified during the bi-annual ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights supported through the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) and the Danish Institute on Human Rights (DIHR). These priority areas included business and human rights, human rights and the environment, digital rights, migration and trafficking, and counterterrorism, among others.
The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment to deepening collaboration and looked forward to future interface meetings as part of a sustained and constructive dialogue on human rights. The AICHR and the EU looked forward to the forthcoming 6th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights and 4th ASEAN-EU Civil Society Forum, scheduled to be held in Malaysia in 2025.
The meeting concluded with appreciation extended to Malaysia and the ASEAN Secretariat for the excellent meeting arrangements.
