The Launch of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Regional Website and Booklet
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
On Tuesday, 23 October 2012, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) officially launched its very own Regional Website and Booklet at Sofitel Phnom Penh Phookethra Hotel, Kingdom of Cambodia.
The regional website provides general information, news and updates on AICHR, as well as access to AICHR’s calendar, activities and contact information, and some of AICHR’s public documents. Meanwhile, the AICHR booklet provides general information on ASEAN, history and development of human rights in the region, the inception and early years of AICHR, as well as brief profiles for each of the ASEAN Member States’ Representative to AICHR. Both the regional website and booklet are in fulfilment of the activities in AICHR’s Five Year Work Plan of 2010-2015.
H.E. Dr. Om Yentieng, Senior Minister, the Representative of Cambodia and Chair of AICHR, and the Head of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC), remarked that the launch of the AICHR Website and booklet is another new milestone and historical event, both for AICHR and for ASEAN. The Senior Minister took the opportunity to thank all AICHR Representatives, H.E. Hor Namhong (Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Cambodia) as well as all ASEAN Foreign Ministers, the ASEAN Secretariat, and all stakeholders in the region for their continued support and contribution to AICHR during Cambodia’s chairmanship.
The Chair invited H.E. Mr. Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to the stage as they officially launched the regional website of AICHR. H.E. Mr. Cham Prasit, Minister of Commerce of the Kingdom of Cambodia, was also in attendance. Afterwards, the Chair was joined by H.E. Chet Chealy, the Alternate Representative of Cambodia to AICHR, in presenting the first copies of the AICHR Booklet to the guests, signifying the official launch of the Booklet. H.E. Mr. Rafendi Djamin, the Representative of Indonesia to AICHR who was also present at the launch, congratulated Cambodia in achieving “an important stage of AICHR’s evolutionary process in terms of providing access to information” and is looking forward to receiving feedback from stakeholders on this recent development.
The event, which was in conjunction with the third year commemoration of AICHR’s inauguration, brought together government officials of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Ambassadors and the diplomatic community in Phnom Penh, representatives of dialogue partners, civil society organisations, the academic community, and the media.