ASEAN Urged to Infuse Gender Lens in Human Rights Agenda

30 June 2025 -

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Malaysia (AICHR Malaysia) organised and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) conducted the AICHR Regional Workshop on Gender Lens Perspective on Business and Human Rights in ASEAN in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The two-day regional workshop aimed to explore how a regional gender lens framework can help address gender-based barriers, tackle structural and cultural discrimination, and enhance the protection of the human rights of women and girls.

It was jointly supported by ASEAN Member States through the AICHR Fund, the Government of Japan via the Japan-Asean Integration Fund (JAIF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with relevant Malaysian ministries and agencies, as well as the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM).

Malaysia’s Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Edmund Bon Tai Soon said that ASEAN must step up its efforts to incorporate gender perspectives into the business and human rights agenda to ensure inclusive regional development. He continued that ASEAN has progressed in promoting gender equality, the women across the region still face structural barriers that prevent their full participation in decision-making and economic life.

AICHR Regional Workshop on Gender Lens Perspective on Business and Human Rights in ASEAN is supported by the Government of Japan through JAIF.