Her Excellency Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC),

Excellencies, ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Leaders, Senior Officials Committee for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (SOCA) Chair, Representative of ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) Chair, Chair and Members of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR), Chairs/Heads of ASEAN Organs, APSC Sectoral Bodies and Entities Associated with APSC,  

Distinguished delegates. ‎

Fifteen years on, AICHR has laid a solid foundation for human rights in ASEAN, covering civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights, and cross-cutting matters across 40 thematic and sector-focused issues. We adopt a consultative, cooperative and collaborative approach to complement ASEAN Community-building consistent with the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration and AICHR Terms of Reference (TOR). 

As we embark on the implementation of our fourth Five-Year Work Plan 2026-2030 with 75 initiatives and 28 Priority Programmes/Activities for 2026, AICHR aspires to make these foundations work effectively for the ASEAN people on the ground, aligned with the historic Kuala Lumpur Declaration on ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future. 

Through this intervention, and in response to the questions on the review of the APSC Blueprint 2025 implementation, I respectfully outline AICHR’s key areas of work and progress while sharing ideas to meet our challenges for further consideration.

This year, 2025, marks a significant year for AICHR as we move to deepen human rights protection and promotion through the following measures: 

  • First, AICHR finalised the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment in consultation with ASEAN bodies including the ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment (ASOEN). 
  • Second, after consulting with ASEAN bodies, AICHR continues to deliberate on the proposed ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development. 
  • Third, in June 2025, AICHR and the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) jointly launched the ASEAN Guideline on the Implementation of the Non-Punishment Principle for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Persons. 
  • Fourth, in July 2025, AICHR launched its thematic study report on the right to peace titled “The Right to Peace: ASEAN Perspectives and Prospects”. Further, and in collaboration with the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR), AICHR has to date convened four workshops on conflict prevention, and approaches and pathways to peace in ASEAN.

Our work at AICHR is published in our Annual Report 2025. The four examples illustrate the importance of regularising greater cross-sectoral and cross-pillar interface consultations or joint technical working cooperation on substantive issues. Your role in ASEAN bodies is crucial in this collaborative effort. AICHR looks forward to continuing and expanding these initiatives.

In the Representatives’ efforts to strengthen AICHR and refresh our processes to be more agile, innovative, and effective in addressing increasing cross-cutting issues in a timely manner, permit me to highlight three key points.

First, AICHR regularly engages with current and emerging human rights issues in ASEAN through the sharing of information and updates by AICHR Representatives at meetings and the annual ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue, as well as through joint statements of concern on human rights, where appropriate. 

Second, pursuant to its adopted mechanism since 2019, AICHR and the Representatives have, where appropriate, responded to incoming communications. Since 2010, AICHR has received 131 communications, out of which 53 were received from 2022 to July 2025. This practice reflects AICHR’s commitment to protecting human rights.

Third, AICHR has accredited 30 civil society organisations with consultative status (CSOs), and there is an increasing number of pending applications. AICHR hosted the sixth interface meeting with the CSOs in July 2025, further strengthening its engagement and consultative relationship with civil society stakeholders. 

To optimise and scale up our people-facing coordination efforts, APSC could consider the following: 

  • A regular APSC newsletter to disseminate information and provide timely updates on recent developments in our respective sectors and areas for potential cooperation;
  • An increase in resource support for the establishment of joint technical working groups to implement inter-sectoral ASEAN declarations and plans of action;
  • A rapid response knowledge-sharing and coordination protocol for emergencies and crises that includes technical and sectoral ASEAN experts on standby for advisory and technical guidance services, briefings, and confidential consultations in support of ASEAN Member States as required;
  • A dedicated channel or pathway for people and communities in vulnerable situations to access ASEAN bodies for remedies and to provide constructive feedback loops; 
  • An annual commemoration of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration through events held around the date of its adoption on 18 November, including “Meet-the-People” sessions; 
  • An annual ASEAN Human Rights Report to document ASEAN achievements, progress and challenges on human rights; and,
  • Where relevant, a renewal and update to ASEAN institutions’ mandates and terms of reference — including the AICHR TOR — to align the same with ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future; and for this purpose, the ASEAN Secretariat could prepare a discussion paper with options and timelines.

For this meeting’s information, AICHR conducted two qualitative assessments of its work pursuant to paragraph 9.7 of the AICHR TOR on 2014 and 2021 and submitted a total of 14 recommendations for the consideration of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) on future efforts that could be undertaken in the promotion and protection of human rights within ASEAN. This year, AICHR will continue to review its work after 15 years of operations. 

Further, AICHR looks forward to the final nominations of members to the Panel of Experts on the review of the AICHR TOR and correspondingly, the panel’s convening. We stand ready to support this process as required.

Finally, a people-centred ASEAN cannot be realised without the integration of human rights at its core. AICHR is committed to continuing its work through a balanced discharge of its mandates while fostering greater collaboration with ASEAN bodies, and to develop common approaches on human rights matters in the region.

Thank you.

This intervention was delivered at the 17th Coordinating Conference for the ASEAN Political-Security Community (ASCCO) on 22 August 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The press release on the conference is available here.