MARUAH Singapore

All of us from the Singapore Working Group on ASEAN Human Rights (MARUAH) express our heartfelt sympathy to the familiy of Ms Lo Hwei Yen.

It is unconscionable to murder for any cause, however important that cause may seem to be.

We are sorry that it happened and strongly encourage world leaders to find better solutions to get to the root causes that breed such a lack of regard for human lives.

The 1st of a series of events to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights started today at the Jurong Regional Library. A storytelling session for children was conducted by the U60 team.

Another session will be held tomorrow (30th November 2008) at 2pm. This event is part of U60.

A new book on non-profit organisations, by Willie Cheng, was recently launched. Details on the website here.

MARUAH is organising a public consultation on 6th September 2008 to collect feedback from Singaporeans regarding the ASEAN human rights body.

Why is your input important?
Across ASEAN, the views of various stakeholders are being sought with regard to the proposed ASEAN human rights body. It is important that Singaporeans have a say in this process.

Why is the ASEAN human rights body important?
In its recent progress chart (PDF) on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the United Nations (UN) said the South-East Asian region as a whole is not expected to meet 4 of the 8 MDG targets. These 4 are:
Goal 2 – universal primary schooling
Goal 3 – gender equality and empowerment of women
Goal 5 – improve maternal health
Goal 6 – combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

The UN also said in a report that the human rights focus must be re-emphasised if the MDGs are to be achieved in a sustainable manner.

This is why it is so important that an effective ASEAN human rights body is established, and that a rights-based approach is taken as ASEAN works towards its 3 pillars (Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural) of development. A rights-based approach would help to ensure that, in the shaping and implementation of policies, there is both transparency and accountability. It is another way to really help the people in our region.

Details of public consultation
Date: 6th September 2008, Saturday
Time: 10am to 1pm
Venue: Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO)
96 Waterloo Street
Singapore 187967

Please register early with the MARUAH Secretariat with your name, organisation and contact details via email: maruahsg@gmail.com

MARUAH will be participating in the above-mentioned consultation, scheduled to be held at Bangkok, Thailand, from 15th to 17th September 2008. MARUAH will be represented by Ms Braema Mathi, who is also the Chairperson of the CEDAW Committee at the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE).

The consultation aims to

– provide an update on recent developments in ASEAN

– develop a regional civil society advocacy strategy on the establishment of both the ASEAN Commission on the rights of women and children, and the ASEAN human rights body.

– help the women and child rights groups step up the engagement process with ASEAN

Ms Braema Mathi from MARUAH recently attended the 2nd Regional Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights, held in Jakarta on 5-7th August 2008.

The consultation brought together representatives from various NGOs, Indonesian Government, ASEAN Secretariat, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, and National Human Rights Institutions in ASEAN.

Discussion centred around how the proposed ASEAN human rights body would be able to address critical human rights issues confronting ASEAN.

Participants shared their views on strategies to engage effectively with ASEAN governments, ASEAN Secretariat, and High Level Panel (HLP) members.

Mr Siew Kum Hong, a member of MARUAH, spoke at the recent SYINConnect conference. His topic was “Human Rights in Singapore 101”.

Click here to view the slides presented on that day.

SYINC is organising a conference for youths named SYINConnect. 3 MARUAH members will be speaking at SYINConnect. More details below.

Want to meet like-minded people who are passionate about making a difference?
Want to learn from respected and experienced community leaders and social entrepreneurs?

SYINConnect is a one-day youth conference that connects participants to urgent social issues, and what people are doing about them in Singapore. Participants will get the opportunity to meet the community leaders making change in our society today, and build the skills, networks and confidence to be effective agents of change.

Saturday, 26th July 2008
8.00 am – 6.30 pm
Republic Polytechnic

If you have any further queries, do not hesitate to contact us at syinconnect@syinc.org

Singapore is hosting the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the 15th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Singapore from 17 July – 24 July 2008.

Of specific concern to MARUAH is the anticipated announcement of the members of the High Level Panel on the Establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP). The HLP will be tasked with drafting the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the proposed ASEAN Human Rights Body.

The programme schedule also includes a meeting with the Working Group for ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group).

MARUAH has been working closely with the Working Group on this issue. Ms Braema Mathiaparanam, co-ordinator of MARUAH and the Singapore focal point of the Working Group, is expected to be part of that meeting.