ASEAN Foreign Ministers okay human rights commission

MANILA - In an apparent victory for the Philippines, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo on Monday said that the ASEAN Charter would include a provision that calls for the creation of a human rights commission.

"I am pleased to announce that among the issues on which there has been a consensus among the ASEAN foreign ministers is the inclusion of a provision in the ASEAN Charter that mandates the creation of a human rights body," Romulo said in a statement.

Romulo said that the ASEAN foreign ministers have instructed the High Level Task Force (HLTF) to include this provision in the draft charter.

He said that the foreign ministers attending the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting that opens today at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) here have been briefed by the HLTF on the progress of their work.

The inclusion of the setting up of a body to protect human rights has been one of the thorny issues debated upon by the HLTF in the run up to today's AMM.
 
"We discussed a number of issues," said Romulo. "We agreed on several provisions and referred others for further work by the HLTF."
 
The charter is expected to provide the loose regional grouping with a legal foundation to restructure its existing mechanisms and improve its decision-making process. It will also enhance ASEAN efficiency and ensure prompt implementation of all its agreements and decisions.


The plan to establish a charter was first outlined in the Kuala Lumpur Declaration issued by the 11th ASEAN Summit in 2005.

This was followed by the creation of an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) which was tasked with making guidelines of the charter. At the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu last January, the leaders created the HLTF to draft the charter based on the report of the EPG.