By Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia

Thank you, Her Excellency Chair, Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro. 

My Foreign Minister, Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan, extends his warm greetings and best wishes to Excellencies Ministers and AICHR Commissioners. He conveys his regrets that he is unable to be with us at this session due to his prior commitment in Malaysia. 

I join Excellencies Ministers in extending a warm appreciation to the Acting Chair of AICHR 2026, Her Excellency Georgina Hernandez, for the presentation of the AICHR Annual Report 2026 and the updates. 

Excellencies,

Malaysia commends AICHR for its continued efforts to advance the promotion and protection of human rights across ASEAN in accordance with its mandates.

As ASEAN begins implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, we believe AICHR has an important role to contribute to ensuring our aspiration for a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centred ASEAN is translated into meaningful outcomes.

We look forward to the Regional Plan of Action for the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment and the follow-up actions to realise the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and the Right to Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development, and this includes publishing an ASEAN Human Rights Report. These initiatives demonstrate ASEAN’s commitment to advancing human rights in a manner that supports sustainable development and responds to emerging regional challenges.

We further believe the review of AICHR’s Terms of Reference should be expedited to ensure its role and mandates remain relevant, and be more decisive, responsive, adaptive, and forward-looking in discharging its mandates. 

In that context, AICHR may wish to consider the following measures moving forward:

  1. To have a more balanced discharge of its mandates in the promotion and protection of human rights and in the thematic areas including civil and political rights;
  2. To consider commemorating the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration through ASEAN Human Rights Day, celebrated on 18 November every year;
  3. To regularly conduct a self-assessment of its work, taking note of the ASEAN Secretariat’s Information Paper on the Commission’s work from 2010 to 2025;
  4. To continue working towards a common position and approach on human rights matters of concern and responding to human rights communications received;
  5. To strengthen cross-pillar and cross-sectoral collaboration with other ASEAN Sectoral Bodies as this will enable AICHR to better address emerging cross-cutting issues, including digital governance, artificial intelligence, environmental rights and climate change as well as the protection of vulnerable and marginalised groups; and
  6. To enhance its engagement in ensuring ASEAN’s human rights agenda remains inclusive, meaningful, responsive, and people-oriented.

I wish the Commission every success in carrying out its important mandates. Malaysia looks forward to continuing our close cooperation with AICHR in advancing a peaceful, inclusive and people-centred ASEAN Community.

Thank you.

This intervention was delivered at the 16th AMM-AICHR Interface Meeting on 20 July 2026 during the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings in Manila, Philippines. The intervention by Edmund Bon, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR, is available here. More information about the 16th AMM-AICHR Interface Meeting is available here.