Human rights have now become a permanent agenda in ASEAN with its inclusion in the ASEAN Charter, the ASEAN Political-Security Blueprint as well as the establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).

Established in 2009, the AICHR is the overarching institution with overall responsibility for the promotion and protection on human rights in ASEAN. The AICHR is part of the intergovernmental process among ten ASEAN Member States to promote regional cooperation on human rights. One of the important milestones in the work of AICHR is the adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) by ASEAN Leaders in Phnom Penh on 18 November 2012. The AHRD is the first standard setting to codify the basic human rights and fundamental freedoms that ASEAN Member States must respect, promote, and protect.

Despite AICHR's success in conducting its work during the past five years, there remains a lot of work to be done by the AICHR to carry out its mandates and functions. The review of the Terms of Reference of the AICHR in 2014, therefore, is an opportunity for the ASEAN Member States to strengthen the mandates, functions, and roles of the AICHR in the protection and promotion of human rights in the region.

Dr Christopher Roberts and Dr Mathew Davies from ANU will provide a response.

This panel discussion is free and open to the public however seats are strictly limited.  Refreshments will be provided by the Indonesian Embassy in Australia following the lecture.