The three-day International Conference on Extractive Industries and Indigenous Peoples concluded on 25 March 2009 in the Philippines, with its Manila Declaration. It was signed by 100 participants from different indigenous nations, with their territories being home to over 60 percent of the world's most coveted mineral resources. The declaration says that exploitation of their [ Read more ]

Concerned that only five Asian states may run for the five seats of the region at the United Nations Human Rights Council election, 29 civil society organisations, including FORUM-ASIA, wrote to Asian states to run competitive election instead. Their letter urges all Asian states delegations to the UN to "make a real contribution to the [ Read more ]

SOLIDARITY FOR ASIAN PEOPLES’ ADVOCACY Working Group on Labour and Migration  GLOBAL CRISIS “This is a global crisis and it needs global solutions. We are experiencing a downturn in global economic development,” admits the pillars of the world economic and social order – the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Bank (WB), International [ Read more ]

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) released "A Profile of Human Rights and Humanitarian Issues in the Vanni and Vavuniya" in March 2009. The report focuses on the human rights situation in northern Sri Lanka, affected by the conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Centre [ Read more ]

On 25 March 2009, the Lower House of the Malaysian Parliament successfully passed a bill amending the enabling law on the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), despite strong opposition from civil society and opposition members of the parliament. The government's haste in tabling the bill on Tuesday, 24 March and passing it the following day, [ Read more ]

Concluding the three-day Human Rights Defenders' Congress in Indonesia, human rights defenders of Indonesia launched a pledge on 20 March 2009. Recognising that election has become "nothing more than a routine", the "Human Rights Defenders' Pledge" below called on people to vote for "pro-human rights and pro-people" candidates. The country will hold parliamentary elections on [ Read more ]

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, including FORUM-ASIA member Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), issued a statement on 23 March 2009, which called on the Extraordinary Chamber of the Cambodian Court to fully uphold victims' rights to participate in the trial. The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, including FORUM-ASIA member Cambodian Human Rights [ Read more ]

On 24 March 2009 at the Human Rights Council, the representative of the Mexican human rights commission addressed the reductions in personnel and operations of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Here is the statement presented, on behalf of seven national human rights institutions (Afghanistan, Australia, India, Ireland Malaysia, New Zealand and South Korea). [ Read more ]

The 10th session of the Human Rights Council concluded in Geneva, Switzerland (2-27 March 2009). On 17 March 2009, FORUM-ASIA and other non-governmental organisations urged the council to "hold a Special Session on the current human rights situation in Sri Lanka". For the complete statement, please click here (.pdf). More details about the 10th Session [ Read more ]

A network of more than 25 ASEAN-based human rights organisations has met with the High Level Panel (HLP) on the establishment of the ASEAN human rights body on 20 March in Kuala Lumpur. They called on the panel to amend the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the ASEAN human rights body, in order to ensure [ Read more ]