Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
Annual Report 2001-2002
Chapter 9: International Activities
In 2001-02, as in past years, the Commission participated in some bilateral international program activities, generally as part of the Australian Government's development cooperation program developed by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).
The Commission's international program role arises due to the expertise the Commission has developed in pursuit of its domestic mandate. The Commission also holds the belief that the strengthening of human rights protection and development everywhere only ensures the enhancement of human rights activities and awareness anywhere, including Australia. In some cases regional countries wish to access this expertise in pursuit of their own human rights objectives, while in other cases the Australian Government wishes to use the expertise in pursuit of its development cooperation objectives. To respond to all requests for program activities could potentially distract the Commission from its primary, domestic mandate. It therefore participates only when a number of pre-requisites are satisfied, including that all of the Commission's costs are met, that the program is clearly capable of achieving its goals and that it does not detract in any way from the Commission's domestic work.
China
The Commission's most substantial international program involvement is with the China-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Program (HRTC), which is an integral part of the annual Dialogue on Human Rights with China. This program encompasses three principal themes - protection of the rights of women and children, protection of ethnic minority rights and reform of the legal system.
HRTC undertakes each year a series of activities intended to assist China to promote and protect human rights. In 2001-02 the program included providing scholarships for Chinese officials to study human rights in Australia and workshops on a range of subjects such as protection of women from family violence, measures to combat trafficking in women and children and reporting on compliance with international human rights treaty obligations. Training has been provided to Chinese officials working in areas vital to human rights protection such as prosecutors and prison officers. The project supported the translation into Chinese and subsequent publication of four seminal texts dealing with mass communication and the right to freedom of expression.
The program has an immediate impact on the formulation of administrative procedures. In the longer term the program aims to have an impact through increasing the level of knowledge of human rights concepts, with a resultant impact on the formulation of Chinese policies and practices. The program therefore seeks to work with the Chinese authorities to demonstrate the value of institutionalising the regard for human rights and to then work with those authorities to formulate and implement practical strategies to realise that value.
Indonesia
During 2001-02 the Commission continued work on the program of cooperation with the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia, commonly known as Komnas HAM). The four year program concluded in May 2002. Its goal was to strengthen the capacity of Komnas HAM to fulfil its broad mandate. This was accomplished both through specific capacity building activities and by directly assisting Komnas HAM to disseminate an understanding of human rights principles amongst Indonesia officials and the general population.
A series of activities was implemented in this reporting year included training for Komnas HAM officials in investigation of gross human rights violations and a workshop on mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. The program also supported the placement of advisers in Komnas HAM to assist in development of public education and awareness raising strategies, including a major anti-violence campaign.
South Africa
The Commission continued its assistance to the South African Commission on Gender Equality. This year's program focused mainly on initiatives to strengthen that organisation's capacity to intervene effectively in relevant litigation in South Africa concerning gender issues.
Vietnam
The Commission participated in the inaugural session of Australia-Vietnam Dialogue on International Organisations and Legal Issues, held in Hanoi on 27 - 29 May 2002. The Dialogue included discussion of human rights issues.
Other countries
The Commission has worked with other countries on a small scale, generally in the technical areas of human rights protection. For instance officials of the Commission have worked with the Government of Uganda to develop its capacity to conduct national human rights inquiries and with the Government of Indonesia to develop its capacity to implement ILO Convention 111 (guaranteeing equality in employment).
In addition to these bilateral programs, during 2001-02 the Commission participated in the preparatory stages of a project of regional cooperation to prevent trafficking in people. The project is sponsored by Australia and will involve a number of countries in South East Asia. The initial stages included a consultation and design visit by the project team to countries in the region.
