PHNOM PENH: The Chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee, Mr. Keo Remy began chairing the first meeting of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) after becoming the new AICHR Representative from 2022 to 2024.
The meeting will last for three days, from 30 March to 1 April 2022 via video conference.
Sreang Chenda, a member of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee and an assistant to the AICHR, told reporters that today's meeting is focused on the briefing on AICHR Discuss the activities of the AICHR in the past and continue to discuss some documents that are planned to be implemented in 2022 and also discuss human rights issues in some ASEAN regions.
He said: "This morning, a representative of the country expressed his interest is in the Myanmar issue, at the same time, the Myanmar representative explained that it was doing something related to the promotion and protection of human rights in Myanmar. Mentioning what he strives for, as providing services such as health care or other social assistance systems to help people."
He said the reason why the AICHR did not interfere in Myanmar's affairs was because of the ASEAN Charter and the AICHR Charter, which needed the consent of all parties to be able to negotiate.
He said: "If we want to bring something to discuss it needs the word okay from the host country. That is why we can discuss, make recommendations, give opinions or solutions, or any other country raises issues of another country to discuss, and if the relevant country agrees, we can discuss.”
The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was established on 23 October 2009 at the 15th ASEAN Summit in Thailand. The establishment of the AICHR demonstrates ASEAN's commitment to pursuing a forward-looking strategy to strengthen regional cooperation on human rights. It is an integral part of the ASEAN Organizational Structure and a joint governing body with joint responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN.
The AICHR was further strengthened with the promulgation of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) adopted in November 2012 by the Phnom Penh Declaration on the Approval of the AHRD, signed by ASEAN leaders.
2022 is the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, in which the Cambodian Human Rights Commission and the new chair of the AICHR will hold a celebration program aimed at informing the public and promoting its implementation to be more comprehensive.
