Press Release of 37th Meeting of AICHR, 22 – 26 May 2023, Bali, Indonesia
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) convened the 37th Meeting of AICHR from 22 to 26 May 2023 in Bali, Indonesia. The Meeting was chaired by H.E. Wahyuningrum, Representative of Indonesia to AICHR, and was attended by Representatives/Alternate Representatives of AICHR, and the ASEAN Secretariat.
The Meeting welcomed the new Representative of the Philippines to AICHR, as well as the participation of Timor-Leste represented by the Chairperson of Provedor for Human Rights and Justice as observer.
The Meeting was updated on recent developments on human rights in the region, including new laws and regulations at the national level related to human rights, and human rights initiatives by ASEAN Member States as presented by the AICHR Representatives of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
The Meeting discussed the implementation of AICHR’s Priority Programmes/Activities with a focus on business and human rights, the environment and climate change, right to education, rights of persons with disabilities, children’s and women’s rights, disinformation, hate speech and human rights, victim-oriented protection to counter radicalisation and violent extremism, prevention and countering torture, among others.
In preparation for the annual interface between the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and AICHR to be held in July 2023, the zero drafts of the AICHR Annual Report 2023, the Statement of AICHR to the 56th AMM, and the Priority Programmes/Activities of AICHR 2024 were also discussed. Preparations for the AICHR-UN Dialogue on Human Rights, AICHR Study Visit to Switzerland, and the 5th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights were also deliberated.
On 24 May, AICHR met with the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting Responsible for Information (SOMRI), represented by SOMRI Viet Nam, for discussions on priorities and initiatives pertaining to human rights, information and media. AICHR also met with representatives of the ASEAN University Network – Human Rights Education (AUN HRE) to discuss further cooperation in the promotion of human rights and peace in higher education in Southeast Asia.
AICHR convened other interfaces with stakeholders and dialogue partners, which include a meeting with the Southeast Asia National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF), and a meeting with the United States, which discussed possible areas of cooperation in 2023 and beyond.
On 25 May, AICHR exchanged views and continued to assess the general concept of the proposed “ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Institutionalising ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue” following the briefing on the proposed elements as Indonesia’s chairmanship initiative presented by the Director for ASEAN Political-Security Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
On 26 May, AICHR held its 4th Interface with the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with Consultative Relationship with AICHR to further promote an enabling environment for meaningful and constructive engagement and interaction between AICHR and the accredited CSOs for the promotion and protection of human rights.
The Meeting expressed its appreciation to AICHR Indonesia and the ASEAN Secretariat for the excellent arrangements of the meeting.
