MARUAH (Singapore Working Committee for ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism) appreciates that human rights is still relatively new in the Singapore context. As such, we intend to approach the issue of human rights at an appropriate pace, with a PPP (public− private− people) model built around partnerships with multiple stakeholders.
We will adopt appropriate approaches such as dialogues and negotiations, while remaining guided by and clear in our mission of observing the fundamental principles of human rights.As such, MARUAH will be mindful of the need for a non-partisan stance on human rights.
MARUAH intends to undertake the following activities in the course of our work:
- education on general concepts, including human rights, international conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the role of international bodies such as ASEAN and the United Nations
- raising awareness in Singapore on ASEAN, the ASEAN Way, the ASEAN Charter and the proposed ASEAN human rights body
- dialogues with key stakeholders in Singapore, such as the Singapore Government, civil society organisations and the public
- bridge-building with the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism and the national working groups of other ASEAN member states
- appreciating and understanding local legislation
- conducting relevant research, such as research on existing human rights mechanisms in other parts of the world, and research on specific issues from a rights-based perspective
In addition to activities on human rights in general, we also intend to work with partner civil society organisations on specific issues such as womens’ rights, childrens’ rights and migrant workers. This includes undertaking research from a rights-based perspective on such areas, and in turn leveraging on partner organisations’ work where relevant.
As the objective focuses on the establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, there will also be an international dimension to our work. We will therefore work with relevant groups such as the Manila based Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism and the national working groups of other ASEAN states.
We also recognise that the Singapore experience contains important human rights lessons for the region, for instance Singapore’s mechanisms to address inter-faith and inter-racial relations, and these will be emphasised accordingly.
Specific Interests
MARUAH has partnered and will continue to partner with different groups to understand and discuss human rights issues, under a framework based on the four areas of economic, social, cultural and civil liberties.
As our objective concerns the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body, we will collaborate with the national working groups of other ASEAN countries through the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. We believe that the Singapore group has much to contribute to regional discussions, especially in terms of Singapore’s mechanisms to address inter-faith and inter-racial relations, and MARUAH will emphasise these in our regional work.
