MARUAH Singapore

See below for the written reply by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo to Mr Siew Kum Hong’s parliamentary question on Singapore’s position on the ASEAN Human Rights Body.

ORDER PAPER NO 73 OF 2009
QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
(for the Sitting on 23 March 2009)

ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS BODY
(Singapore’s Position)

*25. Mr Siew Kum Hong:
To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what is Singapore’s position on the draft terms of reference for the proposed ASEAN Human Rights Body; and (b) what is the progress of the work of the High Level Panel.

Mr George Yong-Boon Yeo:
I thank Mr Siew Kum Hong for his interest in the ASEAN human rights body. This is an important subject. Let me emphasise that Singapore is firmly committed to the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body.
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You may apply to join here.

The Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (MARUAH) is pleased to invite you to a public consultation on the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) for the proposed ASEAN Human Rights Body (AHRB).

This dialogue aims to highlight the latest developments, and to elicit comments from you, so that they can be considered for the second consultation with the High Level Panel meeting with civil society groups to be held at Kuala Lumpur in 20 March 2009.

We have a rare opportunity to influence this process, so please do come and tell us what you think of the proposed AHRB and the TOR process.

We look forward to hearing from you.
Date: 11 March 2009
Time: 4pm
Venue:
Asia-Europe Foundation (www.asef.org)
31 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Singapore 119595

Programme
4:00 – 4:05 Welcome
4:05 – 4:20 “The Road to an AHRB” by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, former ASEAN Secretary-General
4:20 – 4:35 “Human Rights in ASEAN” by Ambassador Rodolfo C. Severino, Head, ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS)
4:35 – 5:00 “The AHRB’s Terms of Reference” by Ms Braema Mathi, Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (MARUAH)
5:00 – 6:30 Open Discussion, moderated by Dr Cherian George

**To register, please email maruahsg@gmail.com with your name and contact details**

The Power of a Declaration
Making human rights real.
Amartya Sen, The New Republic Published: Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Nineteen forty-eight may have begun as an unsettling year, with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in January, but it ended on a positive note, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in December. There was a reasoned vision of lasting importance underlying the declaration; it was momentous in its time, and it remains important today. Invoking human rights has become a major way of challenging inequities and oppression in the contemporary world, and in this development the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the fledgling United Nations sixty years ago, swayed not least by the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt, has played an indisputably significant and astonishingly constructive role.
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MARUAH has, together with over 90 organisations, endorsed a statement on the treatment of Rohingya and Bangladeshi ‘Boat People’. Read the rest of this entry »

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released information on the status of the ASEAN Human Rights Body via a press release. Read the rest of this entry »

As part of the U60 celebrations of the recent 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), MARUAH (Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism) held an event to emphasize the importance of Articles 23-25 of the UDHR, which deals with fair and just conditions for workers.

This event, Making A Commitment, was held on 13 December 2008 at Speakers’ Corner. Organized by MARUAH with support from partners such as Action for Aids, AWARE, Transient Workers Count Too, HOME and individuals, a number of speakers spoke up on the need for protection for vulnerable communities such as contract workers, the elderly, those with disabilities, migrant workers, persons living with HIV and people who are homosexuals or transgender.

Members of the public were invited to make a pledge – a commitment – to affirm their stand which many did by holding up placards with a chosen slogan promoting a workplace issue. These were captured on video by volunteers, Mr Patrick Chng and Ms Stephanie Chok, as a New Year resolution for 2009 to treat all workers with dignity.

The Lancet has released a special report on the right to health on 10 December 2008, International Human Rights Day, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
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MARUAH wishes one and all a meaningful Human Rights Day (10 December)