Global & Regional Institutionalizationof Human Rights
in ASEAN & East Asia
Prof. Yasushi KATSUMA (Ph.D., LL.M.)
Associate Dean
Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies (GSAPS)
Waseda University
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Puzzles• Puzzle 1:– Why does ASEAN create a sub-regional
human rights mechanism now?

• Puzzle 2:– Why don’t “plus 3” countries (China, Japan,Republic of Korea) seem to be ready tocooperate to create a regional human rights
mechanism in Asia?
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Hypotheses
1. A global historical trend of the development ofregional human rights mechanisms.
2. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for all UN
member states, including “ASEAN plus 3”countries.
3. Acceptance of core human rights treaties by
ASEAN plus 3 countries.
4. Human rights networks in Asia-Pacific.
5. Political will of ASEAN member states to build
the ASEAN Community. (And the lack of political
will of “plus 3” countries?)3

Hypothesis 1:
A global historical trend of the developmentof regional human rights mechanisms
1950s
GlobalEurope

Regional

Americas
AfricaArabAsia

Trans-regional
Islamiccommunity

1960s

1970s

(1966)(1950)

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s & beyond(1976) International Covenants: ICCPR & ICESCR(1953) ECHR (European Convention for the Protection of HR & Fundamental Freedoms(1969)(1978) ACHR (American Convention on HR: Pact of San José)(1981)(1986) ACHPR (African Charter on Human & Peoples’ Rights:
Banjul Charter)(1994)(2008) Arab Charter on HR(2012) ASEAN HR
Declaration(1990) Cairo Declaration on HR in Islam
Source: Author4

A Challenge to the Hypothesis 1:
Why not the whole region of Asia?
Global and Regional
Organizations(Acronym: Membership)
GlobalDevelopment ofHumanRights
Norms

UDHR (1948); ICCPR (1966, 1976) & its 2 Optional
Protocols; ICESCR (1966, 1976) & its Optional Protocol;
Vienna Declaration & Programme of Action (1993)
United Nations (UN: 193)
CAT (1984, 1987); CPED (2006, 2010); ICERD (1965,1969) ; CEDAW (1979, 1981);CRC (1989, 1990); CRPD(2006, 2008); ICRMW (1990, 2003)

Regional Development of HumanRights Norms

Council of Europe (CoE: 47)
EuropeInternational Human Rights Norms(Year Adopted, Year Effective)

ECHR (1950, 1953) and its 14 Additional Protocols; ESC(1961, 1965); RevESC (1996, 1999)

Organization for Security & Cooperation inEurope (OSCE: 57)

Helsinki Final Act (1975); Charter of Paris (1990)

European Union (EU: 27)
Americas

Organization of American States (OAS: 35)

AfricaAfrican Union (AU: 54)

ArabLeague of Arab States (LAS: 22)

Asia

Trans-regional
Development ofHuman Rights
Norms

Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN:10)
Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC: 57)

EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (2000)
American Declaration of the Rights & Duties of Man (1945);
ACHR (1969, 1978); Protocol of San Salvador (1988)
ACHPR (1981, 1986); Additional Protocol to ACHPR(2008)
Arab Charter on Human Rights (1994, 2008)

ASEAN(2012)

HumanRights

Declaration

Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (1990)

Source: Author5

More Challenge to the Hypothesis 1• If Asian regional human rights mechanism isunrealistic in the absence of a legal regionalorganization, why not the sub-regional SAARC(South Asian Association for RegionalCooperation) but the sub-regional ASEAN
only?
 Hypothesis 56

Hypothesis 2:
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
for all “ASEAN plus 3” countries• The Human Rights Council of the United
Nations (UN), created in 2006, consists of 47
UN member states. Out of the 47 seats, 13
seats are allocated to Asia.
• All UN member states must go through theUniversal Periodic Review (UPR), irrespectiveof their ratification or accession status of corehuman rights treaties.
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A Challenge to the Hypothesis 2• Have ASEAN member states created a subregional human rights mechanism in order tocomplement the UN Charter-based humanrights mechanism (Human Rights Council)?
• Or is it an attempt by ASEAN member states totreat human rights in an “ASEAN way,”
possibly deviating from global human rightsnorms?
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Hypothesis 3:
Acceptance of core human rights treaties
by ASEAN plus 3 countries
ASEAN

Plus 3

OIC
Indonesia

ICCPR
ICESCR
CAT
CPED
ICERD
CEDAW
CRC
CRPD
ICRMW

BruneiMalaysia Singapore Thailand Philippines Cambodia Vietnam

2006
2006

1996
1999

1986
1974

1992
1992

1998

2007

1986

1992

1999
1984
1990
2011
2012

2003
1985
1992
2008

1967
1981
1990
2008
1995

1983
1992
1992
2012

2006
1995

1995
1995
2010

1995
1995

Myanmar

1982
1982

1982
1982
1990

1997
1991
2011

Lao

People’sRepublicof China

2009
2007

2001

2012

1988

1974
1981
1991
2009

1981
1980
1992
2008

JapanRepublicof Korea

1979
1979

1990
1990

1999
2009
1995
1985
1994

1995
1978
1984
1991
2008

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Challenges to the Hypothesis 3• Mixed records are found among ASEAN
member states.
• The Philippines and Indonesia (also a memberstate of the Organisation for Islamic
Cooperation [OIC]) are leading, followed byThailand, Cambodia and Lao PDR.
• On the other hand, Brunei, Malaysia,
Myanmar and Singapore have not ratified or
acceded the ICCPR and ICESCR yet.
10Hypothesis 4:
Human rights networks in Asia-Pacific (1)• APF: Asia-Pacific Forum of National Human Rights
Institutions (NHRIs):– Established in 1996 when 4 NHRIs of Australia, India,Indonesia and New Zealand met in Darwin.
– The NHRIs of 4 ASEAN member states (Indonesia, thePhilippines, Malaysia and Thailand) and the Republic ofKorea participate in the APF as full members accreditedwith ‘A status’ (compliance with the Paris Principles) bythe International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs.
– The NHRI of Myanmar participates in the APF as anassociate member.
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Hypothesis 4:
Human rights networks in Asia-Pacific (2)• The Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative
against Trafficking (COMMIT):– Started in 2003 by 6 countries of the Greater
Mekong Sub-region (GMS): People’s Republic ofChina, Cambodia, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam andMyanmar.
– In 2004, Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)
were signed by the 6 countries to combat trafficking
in person through a sub-regional framework.
12Challenges to the Hypothesis 4• Mixed records are found among ASEAN
member states.
• The issue-specific multilateral framework may
be established from a functional viewpoint.
However, it may not evolve into acomprehensive human rights mechanism.

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Hypothesis 5:
Political will of ASEAN member states to create
the ASEAN Community (1)• SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation) was created in 1985. The SAARC
Charter (1985) does not mention any sub-regional
human rights mechanism, but SAARC has taken an
initiative to combat trafficking in persons.
• The SAARC Charter of Democracy (2011) :“Reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights andin the dignity of the human person as enunciated in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights…”
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Hypothesis 5:
Political will of ASEAN member states to build
the ASEAN Community (2)• ASEAN Charter (2007) has transformed ASEAN from a
political sub-regional organization into a legal sub-regionalorganization.
– The Eminent Persons Group on the ASEAN Charter.
– The High-Level Task Force on the Drafting.
– Article 14: “ASEAN shall establish an ASEAN human rights body.”• ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights(AICHR) was created based on the Terms of Reference(2009) .
– The High-Level Panel appointed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers
Meeting.
– The 4.2 of the ToR: “ASEAN Human Right Declaration.”• ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (2012).
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ASEAN & Plus 3 Countries• ASEAN Vision 2020 (1997) to build the ASEAN
Community:
1. ASEAN Political-Security Community.
2. ASEAN Economic Community.
3. ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

• Plus 3 countries:– Lack of a legal regional organization.
– Lack of political will?
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