Human Rights

West Papua: UN must supervise vote on independence, says coalition (The Guardian, 3 May 2016) In a meeting in London on 3 May, the West Papuan independence leader, Benny Wenda, joined parliamentarians, lawyers and humanitarians from the UK and the Pacific region to demand the United Nations pass a resolution for an independence referendum, in…

ASEAN Commission to release report on women’s rights, gender equality (Jakarta Post, 29 April 2016) The ASEAN Commission on Women and Children ( ACWC ) plans to release a report on women’s rights and gender equality this June, examining the progress and disparities experienced by Southeast Asian women in politics, education, health and the community.…

Thailand: UN human rights chief concerned over growing military role in Government (UN News, 22 April 2016) The United Nations human rights chief has expressed growing concern about the military’s deepening role in Thailand’s civilian administration, as well as tight curbs on dissent, as the country prepares to vote on a final draft Constitution. “An…

South-east Asia’s children face ‘double burden’ of obesity and undernutrition – UN report (UN News, 28 March 2016) A joint report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has shed new light on the nutrition situation of children across the region.…

Myanmar: UN chief welcomes election of first civilian President in more than 50 years (UN News, 16 March 2016) Following the historic national polls last 8 November, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Htin Kyaw, who was elected by the Myanmar Parliament as the first civilian President in more than five decades. “He welcomes this as…

New UN report finds migrants play critical role in Asia-Pacific development (UN News 29 February 2016) Migrants from countries across Asia and the Pacific play a key role by helping to drive economic growth in their countries of destination while also supporting families in their countries of origin, but the benefits of migration remain under-acknowledged,…

Bay of Bengal ‘three times more deadly’ than Mediterranean for migrants and refugees (UN News, 23 February 2016) Refugees and migrants crossing the seas of Southeast Asia died at a rate three times higher than those in the Mediterranean last year, a new United Nations report has found, highlighting the urgency of greater life-saving cooperation…

‘Imperative to pursue criminal accountability of the DPR Korea leadership’ – UN rights expert (UN News, 22 January 2016) The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has called on the international community to further all efforts to improve the human rights situation in…

Cambodia, Singapore Deposit Instrument of Ratification of the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons (ASEC Press Release, 25 January 2016) Cambodia and Singapore have deposited their respective Instruments of Ratification for the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (ACTIP) with H.E. Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN. The ACTIP, which was…