ASEAN, Human Rights and Media Mr. Carlos P. Medina, Jr. Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn Mr. Sinapan Samydorai Moderated by Mr. Seonghoon LEE (Anselmo)

Key Issues  Why engaged ASEAN?  Why not strengthen the UN international protection mechanism instead?  Formula for ASEAN standard setting?  X step(s) forward; Y step(s) backwards

Key context  2008  60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)  10th Anniversary of UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders (HRD) in the next 3 years (2008)  2007  ASEAN joint position in nominating its candidate for the selection of the UN Secretary General post in A golden opportunity for the ASEAN to leave a lasting legacy ?

ASEAN and Human Rights

Key developments (1)  All ASEAN now parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). All ASEAN countries, except Brunei, are also parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).  The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have established national human rights institutions.  ASEAN has adopted functional cooperation programs and plans of action wherein a number of human rights-related activities have been undertaken, particularly in the area of child abuse and exploitation, women, drug trafficking and trans-border environmental problems.

Key developments (2)  The ASEAN Vision 2020, which was adopted by ASEAN governments at the 1997 Kuala Lumpur informal summit of heads of government, foresees “vibrant and open ASEAN societies consistent with their respective national identities, where all people enjoy equitable access to opportunities for total human development regardless of gender, race religion, language, or social and cultural background”.  ASEAN Summit, Laos (2004). ASEAN adopted the Vientiane Action Programme (VAP) which enumerates the following program areas on human rights:

Key developments (3)  In ASEAN summit in Laos (2004), ASEAN has also designated the rotating chair of the ASEAN Standing Committee (ASC) as the focal point in ASEAN for human rights concerns, particularly on the mechanism proposals.

Latest achievement by WG on ASEAN HR Mechanism  Set up in 1993 after ASEAN made its declaration in 1993 favoring the establishment of a regional human rights mechanism.  During the meeting of the Working Group with ASEAN Senior Officials in Vientiane, Laos, on July 25, 2005, ASEAN asked the Working Group to help implement the following four areas of the Vientiane Action Programme: Establishment of the commission on women and children; Elaboration of the migrant workers instrument; Human rights education; and Networking among existing national human rights mechanisms in the region.

ASEAN and Media

 ASEAN vision, identity will not be achieved without the proactive role of the ASEAN media.

ASEAN Media  Most of Asean news reported by Western wire services: Reuters, AFP, AP, DPA  Less Asean news by local news agencies: Antara, Bermana, Thai News Agency, Philippine News Agency  Asian wires report Asean sporadically: Xinhua, JiJi, Kyodo  Focus on bilateral issues, not Asean as a whole  No real investigative reports on Asean  Lack understanding of Asean structure and objectives: the Bali Concord II, SEANWFZ, AFT, TAF,the Vientiane Action Plans, the Security, Economic and Social Communities, etc, etc

Re-discovered CAJ (Confederation of Asean Journalists (CAJ)  CAJ was set up in 1975 by Indonesia  To create state-owned media networks in Asean  To support and disarray fear of Indonesia  Passive and conservative  Oldest and only Asean media organization  Seven members, except Burma, Brunei and Cambodia

Way forward for Asean media  Revitalize CAJ, making it center of Asean media  Asean news services  Asean media training center  Asean journalism awards: environment, public services, etc  Asean Media Fellowships

Case studies: Singapore and Migrant Workers

CSOs-government relations in Singapore context  Hostility based on values; class, race.

The matrix of migrant workers  Racial discrimination  Caste discrimination  ASEAN understanding of ASEAN citizenship?  ASEAN labor minister

Key Actors/ initiatives TrackParallel CSOs track 1 ASEANAPA WG on ASEAN HR Mechanism AIPO caucus on Burma This conf? NGOs Summit in KL, Dec 2005? 2 ASEMAEPF 3 ASEAN Plus 3?

Proposal for key strategies in engaging ASEAN on sensitive issues  Understand its mechanism and its limitation  Build on stage by stage the existing foundation  Deal with ASEAN at all levels with different faces