49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 4: Interactive dialogue on the report of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (HRC res. 46/21)   Delivered by Khin Ohmar On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 21 March 2022      Mr. President, [ Read more ]

The United Nations’ ‘systemic failures’ in Myanmar remain unaddressed amid grave crimes committed by the Myanmar military [18 March 2022, Geneva] Progressive Voice and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) express deep disappointment at the UN Secretary-General’s follow up report to the 2019 ‘brief and independent inquiry into the UN involvement in [ Read more ]

Abolish Slave Compounds in Cambodia 10 March 2022 We are deeply disturbed by reports of widespread human trafficking into Cambodia leading to forced labour, slavery and torture at compounds across the country. Dozens of media reports and numerous victim accounts collected by local and international organisations suggest that thousands of people, mostly foreign nationals, are [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 2: General Debate on the Oral Update by the High Commissioner Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 8 March 2022 Mr. President, Madam High Commissioner, We remain concerned at the deepening human rights crisis in the [ Read more ]

We are concerned about the grave risks that the SIM Card Registration Act poses to the rights to privacy, free expression and information, association and non-discrimination in the Philippines. We are further concerned about the discriminatory impact of the law on transgender and gender diverse individuals, in the absence of legal gender recognition in the [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Jakarta, 9 March 2022) – ‘The Government of Vietnam must immediately release environmental rights activist Dang Dinh Bach and unconditionally drop all charges against him,’ said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) in a joint statement today. ’We are deeply concerned with the repression and harassment faced by human rights advocates, journalists, [ Read more ]

8 March 2022 To Permanent Representatives of Member States of the United Nations in Geneva and New York Excellencies, Russian Federation: UN General Assembly should suspend Russia’s rights of membership of the UN Human Rights Council We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call on Member States of the United Nations to take and support action [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 2: Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on the OHCHR written update on Sri Lanka (res. 46/1)   Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 7 March 2022      Mr. President, Madam High Commissioner, We [ Read more ]

(2 March 2022, Jakarta) ‒ The sentencing of Singaporean activist Jolovan Wham highlights the increasingly repressive space for activists and human rights defenders in Singapore, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and Think Centre in a joint statement today. On 25 February 2022, Jolovan Wham [ Read more ]

(Kathmandu, 25 February 2022) — We, the undersigned human rights organisations, express deep concern over the recent police crackdown on protests in Nepal. On 20 February, demonstrators convened in Kathmandu to protest against the Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC) tabled in the Federal Parliament of Nepal. We are gravely alarmed by the police’s disproportionate use of [ Read more ]