Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Annual Report 2001-2002
Chapter 10: Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
Established in 1996, the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions became an incorporated public company limited by guarantee on 20 March 2002. It is now an independent legal entity and the Forum Secretariat has a formal agreement with the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission for the provision of accommodation and corporate services for its operations.
The positions of Forum Chair and two Deputy Chairs have been established and are rotated on an annual basis. The current Chair of the Forum is the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and Deputy Chairs are the Human Rights Commissions of Nepal and New Zealand.
The annual meetings and workshops of the Forum are among the largest and most comprehensive regular human rights meetings in the Asia Pacific region. They are a mechanism for the practical advancement of human rights, particularly because they bring together national human rights institutions, the United Nations, governments and non-government organisations in a harmonious, practical and largely non-political setting. Through this mechanism the Forum has demonstrated its role as a catalyst for the mobilisation of technical cooperation funds for human rights initiatives and as a facilitator for the establishment of new national institutions.
The Australian Government, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has provided financial support for the Forum. Additional funding is provided by a range of donors including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on a project-by-project basis.
The work of the Forum can be categorised under three broad areas:
1. Strengthening the capacity of individual Forum members to enable them to more effectively undertake their national mandates.
2. Assisting governments to establish their own national institutions in compliance with the minimum criteria contained in the Paris Principles.
3. Promoting regional cooperation on human rights issues.During 2001-02 the Secretariat's operations focused on four main areas of activity:
- the development and delivery of technical assistance and cooperation projects
- information dissemination
- administrative support for the Forum and its activities
- transforming the legal, managerial and operational structure of the Forum to become an independent entity.
The main projects undertaken from 1 July 2001 to 20 March 2002 have included the following:
Workshop on the Role of Human Rights Institutions and Other Mechanisms in Promoting and Protecting Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
This Workshop was held from 11 - 13 July 2001 in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China. It was organised by the Forum Secretariat, in collaboration with the host institution, the Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission. It was co-sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and financially assisted by AusAID. It was attended by regional national human rights institutions, governments, non-government organisations and United Nations Treaty Body representatives including the Chair of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, a Member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and an Independent Expert on the Right to Development.
The Workshop covered issues including:
- the corporate sector and economic, social and cultural rights
- justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights
- the relationship between the right to development and economic, social and cultural rights
- the relationship between racism and economic, social and cultural rights.
Sixth Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
In September 2001 the Forum held its Sixth Annual Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The meeting was organised by the Forum Secretariat in collaboration with the host institution, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka. It was co-sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and financially supported by the New Zealand Government, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Australian Government, through AusAID. The meeting was attended by over 130 delegates representing all Forum members, 20 regional governments and non-governmental organisations from 24 countries. The main decisions of the meeting included:
- a commitment to develop a reference on trafficking for the Advisory Council of Jurists
- a decision to hold a regional workshop in 2002 on trafficking with a focus on HIV/AIDS, internal displacement and the rights of women.
A highlight of the meeting was the official launch of the Forum's video documentary, featuring the work of the national human rights institutions of India, Indonesia and Fiji.
In addition the members of the Forum adopted a new Constitution for the Forum. This decision followed a two year review of the Forum's legal and governance structure by a working group established by members at the Fourth Annual Meeting in 1999. Members unanimously resolved that the organisation should become an independent, non-profit, legal entity. To drive the new organisation the organisational structure of the Forum was revised to be more inclusive with policy making clearly in the hands of its members. At this meeting the Mongolian Human Rights Commission was admitted as the ninth full member of the Forum.
HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: The Role of National Human Rights Institutions in the Asia Pacific Region
This meeting was held in Melbourne, Australia in October 2001. It was organised by the Forum and sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. It was held under the auspices of the Sixth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific. The goal was to enhance awareness of and cooperation on HIV/AIDS related human rights issues in the Asia Pacific region through support to and strengthening of national human rights institutions.
The workshop focused on HIV/AIDS related human rights issues, including the right to health, the right to education, the right to equality and non-discrimination and the right to information and education, and how the core functions of national human rights institutions (complaint handling and investigation, education and promotion and legal reform) can address these issues. It also addressed regional issues of concern including migration and population mobility, commercial sex, trafficking and conflict and displacement.
Following this workshop the Forum held discussions with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS about the development of a practical manual for national human rights institutions dealing with human rights violations on the basis of HIV/AIDS. It is proposed that the Forum will develop the manual in collaboration with stakeholders. The manual will then be forwarded to the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions for its endorsement. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS will publish and distribute the completed manual. It is anticipated that this project will be complete by end of 2003.
Tenth United Nations workshop on human rights arrangements in the Asia Pacific region
The Forum was invited to attend and participate in the 10th United Nations Asia Pacific Workshop on Regional Cooperation for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, which was held in Beirut, Lebanon from 4 - 6 March 2002. The workshop was attended by representatives from over 35 countries, international experts, United Nations agencies and non-government organisations. The Forum was represented by the Deputy Chair, the Human Rights Commission of Nepal and a representative from the Forum Secretariat. The Human Rights Commission of Nepal gave a formal presentation on the role of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights.
