By Bridget Di Certo
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Phnom Penh Post
Transparency and consultation with civil society will give the ASEAN
Human Rights Declaration the status and respect it needs to make a
difference in the region, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi
Pillay said on Friday.
The AHRD will be presented to foreign
ministers in July after scheduled consultation with NGOs, but after
years of secrecy and silence on the drafting of the text, rights groups
have been wary it could fall short.
“Regional human rights
instruments should complement and reinforce international human rights
standards,” Pillay said. “But my hope is that that the ASEAN Human
Rights Declaration will go further by setting the bar higher for
governments to ensure full protection and promotion of human rights
through their policies, legislation and practices.”
Pillay said
it was imperative a “credible” human rights declaration be adopted ahead
of integration into an ASEAN community by 2015.
Last month, Cambodian Center for Human Rights
obtained a leaked draft of the declaration and summised that “its
premise is admirable; however, a number of articles go against the
stated aim of promoting and protecting human rights in the Association
of South-East Asian nations”.
The Post has previously
reported on tensions drafters will face in balancing the region’s
commitment to state autonomy with any kind of enforcement mechanism
under the declaration.
In CCHR’s analysis of the draft, it said
that “there are a number of articles that could be utilised to cement
the rights of the state above the claims to universal human rights and
freedoms”.
“Furthermore, there have been efforts to introduce
qualifications to certain articles that would essentially allow for the
restriction of the fundamental freedoms of religion, expression and
opinion, and the right of a citizen to participate freely in the
government of their respective country.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Bridget Di Certo at bridget.dicerto@phnompenhpost.com
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