JAIF Support for Human Rights
Background
Following the adoption of the ASEAN Charter in 2007, ASEAN established the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) as an ASEAN human rights body. AICHR was inaugurated by virtue of the Cha-Am Hua Hin Declaration on AICHR at the 15th ASEAN Summit in 2009. The establishment of AICHR demonstrates the region’s commitment to promoting and strengthening regional cooperation on human rights. As part of ASEAN’s commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1, the United Nations Charter, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action as well as other international human rights instruments, the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration was adopted by the ASEAN Leaders in November 2012 to further enhance ASEAN’s commitment to human rights cooperation in the region.
Source: History of Human Rights in ASEAN. Available from https://aichr.org/about-aichr-2/
The first AICHR Regional Dialogues on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community in 2015 marked the commencement of Japan and ASEAN cooperation on human rights. Guided by the Five-Year Work Plan of AICHR, Japan and ASEAN continue working hand in hand to address priority areas on human rights based on the Terms of References of AICHR.
Areas of Support and
Key Contributions
JAIF’s support to human rights is well reflected in the projects implemented by AICHR, including a series of five AICHR Regional Dialogues on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community organised from 2015 to 2019. Japan’s continued support to the AICHR Regional Dialogues culminated in the development of the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was adopted at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in November 2018. The Enabling Masterplan 2025 complements the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and serves as a key instrument in mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities across all three pillars of the ASEAN Community. It fosters ASEAN Member States’ commitment towards an inclusive community. The followings are the key contributions of completed JAIF projects to the implementation of the Five-Year Work Plan of AICHR (2016-2020).
JAIF Flagship Project under Human Rights
Ms. Metta Thippawong from Lao PDR is one of the participants in the2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community (Gender Perspectives on Disability Rights) who shared her experiences from the Dialogue, the current status of human rights of persons with disabilities in Lao PDR and her hopes for the future.
At the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue, where gender perspectives in the rights of persons with disabilities were the main theme, over 120 people from different sectors participated, including policy makers, government officials, law enforcement agencies, private companies, academics, and other partners. Over the course of three days, the participants discussed the topics of women with disabilities and political rights, gender perspectives and justice system, disaster preparedness and management for women and girls with disabilities, inclusive education for women and girls with disabilities, and mainstreaming gender and disability rights in business.
Metta Thippawong, who attended the Dialogue from Lao PDR, takes a lead in the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) as a Program Manager. She also has a physical disability and is passionate about helping other people with disabilities to live better lives.
In Lao PDR, most women and girls customarily engage in domestic activities in both urban and rural settings, and the status of women and girls with disabilities, in particular, is low in the community. They have difficulty in accessing education and rehabilitation services. They also cannot go out of home unless accompanied by a family member because of a prejudice remaining in communities. “As a result, women and girls with disabilities are unable to participate in education and livelihood activities, and their household income is reduced, leading to a vicious circle in which their lives become even more difficult,” Metta explains.
The Dialogue provided the participants with an opportunity to visit the Asia-Pacific Center on Disability (APCD) in Bangkok, which is implementing various capacity-building activities supported by JAIF. The participants observed the leadership training offered to organisations of persons with disabilities (OPD) at the centre and learned a lot about disability-inclusion activities from the professionals with disabilities working there.
Metta (front row third from left) and the 2019 AICHR Regional Dialogue participants pose for a group photo.
© AICHR Thailand
Following the Dialogue, a local organisation called the Disability Mainstreaming Advisory Service (DMAS) Center was established to lead the Lao OPD to implement the ASEAN Enabling Masterplan 2025. Metta was delighted to witness a tangible step forward in her country. In establishing the DMAS Center, learnings acquired from APCD were utilised on providing training and educating people about mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in all spheres of the community and policies. The work of the DMAS Center has given the Lao OPD a deeper understanding of the 76 key action points in the Masterplan that supports access to education, politics, and economy for people with disabilities. Read more on her story in Beneficiaries’ Voice.
Japan continues to extend its support to the Five-Year Work Plan of the AICHR 2021-2025. Under the new Work Plan, AICHR and Japan held two interface meetings and identified Business and Human Rights as the new area of cooperation.
1 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. Source: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
