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Right to Peace and Development Highlighted in ASEAN HR Declaration

Ambassador Rosario Manalo, Philippine Representative to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), has a number of suggestions and recommendations to take up at the next meeting of AICHR, which was a result of the 2nd Consultation on the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) on 15 June 2012 in Makati City.

Manalo engaged civil society organizations (CSO) in a dialogue on the general principles of the AHRD. She highlighted that the AHRD added provisions on the right to peace, and right to development and cooperation. One of the members of the audience commented that the terms on curbing illicit trade in small arms and light weapons should be explicit. Further, environmental rights, fundamental labor rights and access or full access for Persons with Disabilities should be observed according to international human rights principles. “Continue to be vigilant and forceful in advocating for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN,” said Manalo. Philippine CSOs have called on the Aquino government to increase its leadership on human rights issues within the ASEAN.

The AHRD is only the beginning of more initiatives in relation to human rights. Manalo expects that the next step of AICHR after the submission of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration is the drafting of ASEAN Conventions which will look into the thematic aspects of human rights promotion and protection.

The consultation was the second installment of a series with the first conducted in September 2011. Inputs solicited from the dialogue shall be integrated in the upcoming meeting of the AICHR on the Declaration in Kuala Lumpur before it is presented to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers in July 2012.

The activity was organized by the Philippine Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism and sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), a German liberal foundation.