OPEN LETTER TO ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS AT INFORMAL ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS
MEETING (IAMM) ON THE ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION
To,
1. His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Brunei Darussalam
2. His Excellency Hor Namhong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cambodia
3. His Excellency Dr. Marty Natalegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Indonesia
4. His Excellency Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Laos PDR
5. His Excellency Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman, Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Malaysia
6. His Excellency U Wunna Maung Lwin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar
7. His Excellency Albert F. Del Rosario, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the
Philippines
8. His Excellency K. Shanmugam, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
9. His Excellency Dr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Thailand
10. His Excellency, Pham Binh Minh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam
cc to
1. His Excellency Om Yentieng, Chair of ASEAN Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights
2. His Excellency Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN
Date: 26 September 2012
Your Excellencies,
We, the undersigned organizations, thank the ASEAN Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) for holding the second consultation
meeting with civil society on the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) in
Manila on 12 September 2012. For the first time in this meeting, civil
society organizations were able to make comments and inputs based on the
actual official draft of the declaration dated 23 June 2012. This is a
positive step in the right direction in enhancing transparency and public
participation and the AICHR must be encouraged to continue to strengthen
and expand such practices in the future and in other areas of its works.
In reviewing the draft declaration dated 23 June 2012, we are however very
concerned with some of what we perceive are serious flaws in the document.
If the draft declaration is to be adopted in its current form, it will fall
below international human rights law and standards. This certainly does not
bode well for the reputation and credibility of the ASEAN human rights
mechanism, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region.
In view of your upcoming meeting on 27 September 2012 in New York to review
the AHRD and that the AHRD will be adopted officially at the 21st ASEAN
Summit in November 2012, we would like to urgently draw your attentions to
some of these infirmities in the draft declaration.
Firstly, Article 7 of the draft declaration attempts to bring back the
discourse of “Asian Values” and “regional particularities” by stipulating “the
realization of human rights must be considered in the regional and national
context bearing in mind different political, economic, legal, social,
cultural, historical and religious backgrounds.” This clearly runs
contrary to the principle of the universality of human rights as enshrined
in the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action in 1993, which stated
that “While
the significance of national and regional particularities and various
historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is
the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural
systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Secondly, Article 6 of the draft declaration stipulates “the enjoyment of
human rights and fundamental freedoms must be balanced with the performance
of corresponding duties as every person has responsibilities to all other
individuals, the community and the society where one lives.” While
international human rights law and standards acknowledge that every person
has responsibilities to his or her community, the notion of
“balancing”them against human rights is alien to the concept of
“inalienable” human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR). No existing international or regional human rights
instrument seeks to define a mutual relationship in terms of
“balancing”the human rights of individuals on the one hand and their
“duties” or “responsibilities” on the other. ASEAN must not denigrate
itself in the international community by adopting this stance.
Thirdly, Article 8 subjects all the rights proclaimed in the declaration to
limitations based on considerations such as “the just requirements of
national security, public order, public health, public safety, public
morality, as well as the general welfare of the peoples in a democratic
society.” This sweeping provision ignores the non-derogability of certain
rights as well as the very narrow scope for restrictions allowed under
international law and standards on others.
Fourthly, several universally recognised rights are not included in the
draft declaration, among them the right to self-determination and the
prohibition of enforced disappearance. Rights of specific marginalised
groups, such as indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, minorities,
migrant workers, domestic workers (both local and migrant) and gay,
lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender peoples are glaringly missing from the
document as well.
ASEAN should learn the lessons from the Arab League of States and avoid
proclaiming regional human rights declaration that is below international
human rights law and standards. The Arab Charter of Human Rights released
by the Arab League of States in 1994 ran in contradiction with human rights
and stirred controversial debates on its credibility. This resulted in no
ratification by Member States of the said Charter.
We therefore urge you to immediately address the flaws of the draft
declaration by adopting our recommendations as outlined in our submission
to AICHR to remedy the serious flaws in the draft declaration. This shall
include amending the sub-standard General Principles, ensuring that it
includes the full spectrum of human rights and adopting a final clause that
explicitly and unequivocally precludes the interpretation of the
Declaration as providing lower protections than the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights (UDHR), Vienna Declaration and Program of Action (VDPA) or
international human rights treaties to which ASEAN Member States are party.
For other concerns with regards to the draft declaration and our
corresponding recommendations, we encourage you to refer to our submission
made to the AICHR on 12 September 2012 as attached.
We entreat you to uphold the highest standards in your deliberation of the
ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. It is our hope that the Declaration will
result in both the promotion and protection of human rights such that the
full realization of human dignity and a higher quality of life for ASEAN
peoples can be truly achieved.
It is time for ASEAN to be in step with the rest of the world in Human
Rights promotion and protection.
Sincerely,
1. Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara
2. Amnesty International Philippines
3. Arus Pelangi Indonesia
4. ASEAN Disability Forum
5. ASEAN SOGI Network
6. ASEAN Watch Thailand
7. Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance
8. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASI
9. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact
10. Asia-Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC)
11. Asylum Access Thailand
12. Balay Rehabilitation Centre
13. Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)
14. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association
15. Cambodian Food and Service Workers’ Federation (CFSWF)
16. Cambodian Workers Centre for Development (CWCD)
17. Cambodia Youth Network (CYN)
18. Center for Advocacy, Learning and Livelihood (CALL) Foundation of
the Blind Inc.
19. Centre for Migrant Advocacy
20. Child Rights Coalition Asia
21. Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CFCC)
22. Development Environment Community Association
23. Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era
24. Disabled Peoples International /Asia Pacific
25. Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC/SEA)
26. Government Union for the Integration of Differently-Abled
Employees of the Philippines(GUIDE)
27. Independent Democratic of Informal Economic Association (IDEA)
28. Indigenous Peoples Task Force on ASEAN
29. Indonesian LGBTIQ Forum
30. Initiatives for International Dialogue
31. International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
32. Kampanya Para sa Makataong Pamumuhay
33. Katipunan Ng Maykapansanansa Pilipinas, Inc.
34. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Jakarta (Jakarta Legal Aid Institute)
35. Malaysian Bar Council
36. Mekong Legal Network
37. Migrant Forum in Asia
38. Mindanao Human Rights Action Center
39. Myanmar People’s Forum (MPF)
40. Network of Indigenous Peoples of Thailand (NIPT)
41. NGO Coordinating Committee on Development (NGO-COD) – Thailand
42. People’s Empowerment Foundation
43. Philippines Alliance of Human Rights Advocates
44. Philippines Coalition for the International Criminal Court
45. Philippines Coalition on the United Nations Conventions on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities
46. The Philippine NGO Coalition on the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child
47. Southeast Asian Committee for Advocacy
48. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
49. Sulong Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program ER
50. Task Force Detainees of the Philippines
51. The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence
(KontraS)
52. Thai Committee for Refugees Foundation (TCR)
53. Thai Volunteer Service Foundation
54. Think Center
55. Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau
56. Woman Health Philippines
57. Women’s Legal Education Association