Press Release – 1st AICHR-UN Dialogue on Human Rights, 27-29 September 2023, Geneva, Switzerland
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the United Nations (UN) held the 1st AICHR-UN Dialogue on Human Rights from 27 to 29 September 2023 in Geneva as one of the follow-ups from AICHR annual engagement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, South-East Asia Region (OHCHR SEARO) since 2017.
The Dialogue included interface meetings of AICHR Representatives with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN officials representing various thematic sections within OHCHR, roundtable discussions with UN Special Procedures including the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of association and peaceful assembly, and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), as well as substantive discussions with members of relevant UN human rights treaty bodies including the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), and the Committee on Enforced Disappearance (CED).
Various thematic issues including social and economic rights, civil and political rights, right to development, business and human rights, environmental rights and climate change, the rule of law and civic space, and protection of human rights defenders were discussed. During the Dialogue, the AICHR Representatives also had the opportunity to observe the proceedings of the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council.
The Dialogue marked a significant development in strengthening cooperation between ASEAN and UN and reaffirmed the importance of dialogue and cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights in the region and around the world. It enabled better mutual understanding of the mandates, working methods, and challenges of ASEAN and UN mechanisms, discussed areas for further collaborative efforts and possibilities to create a channel of communication between AICHR and UN human rights mechanisms.
During the Dialogue in Geneva, AICHR also engaged with the ASEAN Committee in Geneva and the Convention Against Torture Initiative (CTI).
Timor-Leste also attended the Dialogue as an observer.
The AICHR-UN Dialogue on Human Rights contributed to the implementation of the ASEAN-UN Comprehensive Partnership towards ASEAN Community-building efforts, ultimately for the benefit of the people of ASEAN.
