Latest news with #AseanIntergovernmentalCommissiononHumanRights
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Malaysia leads Asean push for regional peace and human rights advancement
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on Tuesday launched its Thematic Study on the Right to Peace, marking a significant milestone in the bloc's move towards implementing a rights-based approach to peace agenda. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the study also offers key policy recommendations to support Asean initiatives to respect human rights and implement practices to secure regional peace and security in line with the Asean Community Vision 2025. It also reaffirmed that the right to peace is a fundamental human right, and is essential for sustainable development, human dignity, and the enjoyment of all other rights. Speaking at the launch of the study, Malaysia's representative to AICHR and AICHR Chair 2025, Edmund Bon, commended the study, describing it as a springboard for actions that strengthen Asean's broad commitment to peace and respect for human rights. "This thematic study is very important as there are still many regional problems and conflict in Asean and also globally. "Spillover conflict issues that become region-centric cannot always be considered internal affairs of Asean member states. This is reflected in the Asean Community Vision 2045 and Asean's initiatives on conflict prevention, as well as civilian and human rights protection." Bon added that Asean is working to address regional and international challenges, including the situation in Gaza and situational conflicts within the region, by taking positions to improve conditions on the ground. Meanwhile, AICHR will organise a six-part AICHR Regional Training Programme on Human Rights on July 2 to build capacity of Asean officials in conflict prevention and to promote sustainable peace through the practical application of human rights principles. The programme, tilted "Workshops on Intersection Between Conflict and Human Rights: Pathways and Approaches to Peace in Asean" also aims to strengthen the bloc's collective ability to implement proactive peacebuilding strategies. Both initiatives demonstrate Malaysia's leadership as the Asean chair in implementing its inclusivity and sustainability agenda, while reinforcing strategic priorities to enhance regional peace, strengthen multilateralism, and foster a resilient, active, and people-centred Asean Community.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Asean urged to infuse gender lens in human rights agenda
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Asean must step up its efforts to incorporate gender perspectives into the business and human rights agenda to ensure inclusive regional development. Malaysia's Representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Edmund Bon Tai Soon said while Asean has progressed in promoting gender equality, the women across the region still face structural barriers that prevent their full participation in decision making and economic life. "Business and human rights are not solely about trade regulations or governance, but it impacts people especially women and girls, and those from vulnerable and marginalised communities whose voices have often been excluded from decision-making. "These barriers remain deeply entrenched in our societies and too often, business structures and practices appear gender-neutral, but continue to reinforce inequality in effect,' he said in his remarks at the Regional Workshop on Gender Lens Perspective on Business and Human Rights in Asean here on Monday. He emphasised that gender discrimination in business settings remains both a cause and a consequence of broader inequality, particularly for women and girls, and should be recognised as a form of violence. "We see on our TV screens, we see in the media, news about war and genocides, that is actual violence, that is physical violence, that is something that we are against. "But structural and cultural discrimination is also a form of violence, and I think that is something that we need to localise,' he said. Bon added that Asean must ensure its frameworks reflect the lived realities of women and girls in line with international standards such as the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights. "As global standards such as the UNGPs continue to shape international expectations and up-and-coming regulations to reflect, Asean must also evolve to ensure that our frameworks reflect the lived realities of women and girls in our region and that they are not treated as an afterthought in economic growth,' he said. The two-day regional workshop, held in Kuala Lumpur from 30 June to 1 July, aimed to explore how a regional gender lens framework can help address gender-based barriers, tackle structural and cultural discrimination, and enhance the protection of the human rights of women and girls. It was jointly supported by Asean Member States through the AICHR Fund, the Government of Japan via the Japan-Asean Integration Fund (JAIF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with relevant Malaysian ministries and agencies, as well as the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). - Bernama
The Star
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Malaysia leads AICHR in shaping future human rights plan
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is in the final stages of drafting its Five-Year Work Plan (2026-2030), aimed at strengthening the protection and promotion of human rights across Southeast Asia amid evolving regional and global challenges. Chair of AICHR and Malaysia's Representative to AICHR, Edmund Bon Tai Soon ( pic ), said the new work plan, once finalised, would serve as a strategic framework guiding AICHR's activities over the next five years, in line with the Asean Community Vision 2045 and various strategic plans of action under the Asean framework. He said that the rapidly changing global landscape has made it imperative for the new work plan to address emerging non-traditional security threats such as artificial intelligence (AI), climate change, forced migration, statelessness, and refugee crises, all of which have significant human rights implications. "This work plan is very important because it will shape the direction and future of human rights in the region. "It forms part of the Asean architecture, and once adopted, it will be submitted to the Asean foreign ministers at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) this July in Kuala Lumpur," he told reporters here on Tuesday (April 29). Bon said the new plan would also focus on strengthening AICHR's institutional capacity and governance, enhancing cooperation with national bodies, and ensuring better policy implementation and monitoring, while respecting the 'Asean Way' of consensus and non-interference. He also stressed the importance of securing political will across Asean member states as well as mainstreaming human rights into Asean sectoral bodies to ensure the success and continuity of human rights initiatives beyond Malaysia's chairmanship. Meanwhile, the programme director for the Secretariat for the Working Group for an Asean Human Rights Mechanism, Maria Paula Villarin, in welcoming Malaysia's leadership, expressed optimism that the new work plan would include stronger measures for transparency, civil society engagement, and structured communication mechanisms. She highlighted that despite operating informally, the Working Group has been advocating for a credible human rights mechanism in Asean since 1996, working closely with various Asean bodies, including AICHR, the Asean Senior Officials' Meeting, and the Asean Ministerial Meeting. Villarin noted that one area that needed urgent improvement was the transparency of AICHR's proceedings, including making its reports public. She also called for the strengthening of AICHR's "communications mechanism", a process that enables individuals, groups, or organisations to submit reports on human rights violations for AICHR's consideration, which is an initiative that is still in discussion. Villarin said civil society organisations (CSOs), especially those without consultative status, must be included in regional dialogues to ensure that policies reflect ground realities. "AICHR can play a vital role as a bridge between grassroots CSOs and Asean policymakers. We acknowledge that decision-making at AICHR requires consensus, but creating more spaces for dialogue would strengthen the legitimacy of Asean's human rights initiatives,' she told Bernama. She expressed hope that Malaysia's proactive leadership would set a strong precedent for future AICHR chairs to continue building more open and inclusive mechanisms. "Malaysia's leadership is a good start. But the real test is whether future representatives will continue to push for greater participation, transparency, and protection of human rights. That is the hope embedded in this work plan,' she added. The final draft of the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (2026-2030) is expected to be completed by May or June before being presented to Asean foreign ministers at the upcoming AMM in July. – Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Providing refugees a safe haven stretches resources, says Malaysian rep
Myanmar is currently ravaged by a civil war between the ruling military junta and a broad-based opposition, which includes numerous armed organisations. (Reuters pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's representative on the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) said taking in refugees would put a strain on a host country's resources, when calling for a solution to the crisis involving Myanmar nationals. Edmund Bon said Malaysia currently 'houses one of the largest numbers of Myanmar refugees'. Edmund Bon. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are about 192,800 refugees and asylum-seekers registered in Malaysia, including 174,410 from Myanmar comprising Rohingya, Chin, and other ethnic groups as of March. The UNHCR also said about US$2.18 million is needed to provide for these refugees. 'It stretches our resources,' Bon told FMT. He said neighbouring countries are for most of the time caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to taking in refugees. He said no one wants to be a refugee, but persecution they face by their own governments forced them to flee. 'In general, the neighbouring countries feel compelled to provide these refugees a safe haven on humanitarian grounds and international law, but at the same time, there is a challenge when it comes to funding,' he said. Bon said he has conveyed the challenges that come with hosting refugees to AICHR's Myanmar representative. Myanmar is currently ravaged by a civil war between the ruling junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, and a broad-based opposition, which includes numerous armed organisations. At an event earlier today, Bon said Malaysia is proposing for a declaration, tentatively titled 'Asean declaration on promoting the right to development and peace towards realising inclusive and sustainable development', at the AICHR's summit this year. The aim of the declaration is to anticipate and address root causes of regional problems early on and be more proactive in tackling Asean issues than just reacting to them. 'The declaration is based on core Asean principles, recognising human rights to peace and development towards ensuring intergenerational equity, fair distribution and cooperation,' he said.
