Call For AICHR To Consider Monitoring, Protection Mechanism

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Nov 18 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) should seriously consider a monitoring and protection mechanism for the region, said the Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, Edmund Bon Tai Soon. He said ASEAN cooperation on the promotion and protection of human rights must continue to evolve guided by the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) and it must evolve quickly. "As a family, ASEAN will be better equipped to nip problems in the bud before they escalate to full-blown crises in the region that may later be uncontrollable," Bon said in his welcoming remarks at the AHRD Day Roundtable at Wisma Putra (Malaysia's Foreign Ministry) here Friday. He also identified the initiatives in the evolution of the AHRD which include setting and elaborating on human rights standards, socialising human rights and institutional strengthening of AICHR. Meanwhile, Wisma Putra Policy Planning and Coordination Department director-general Sudha Devi, in her welcoming remarks, said Malaysia had witnessed the strengthening of institutions in respect of human rights issues such as gender equality, persons living with disability, corporate social responsibility and many more. The one-day roundtable was held for the first time for AICHR-Malaysia to discuss human rights issues in ASEAN and in Malaysia with all the relevant stakeholders - government officials, members of civil society organisations, human rights experts and academicians. The topics discussed during the roundtable, carrying the theme '4 Years of the AHRD Achievements, Challenges and Opportunites', included trafficking in persons, right to safe and drinking water and sanitation, rights of migrant workers and right to life. The AHRD was adopted by ASEAN member states on Nov 18, 2012, in Phnom Penh. --BERNAMA