ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) jointly organized a workshop on “Advancing Democracy and Civic Freedoms: The Role of Parliamentarians” in Bangkok, Thailand, from 14 to 15 July 2018. The event brought together parliamentarians from across Southeast Asia and beyond to discuss existing challenges for civic freedoms and to explore ways in which lawmakers can use their unique capacities to promote and protect these critical human rights.
The event was intended as a launching pad for further collaborative efforts between APHR and INCL to support the role of parliamentarians in advancing civic freedoms in Southeast Asia.
Attendees included current and former lawmakers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Japan, and the European Union.
Throughout the two-day event, MPs learned about international legal principles, particularly those on freedom of association, as well as regional and global trends pertaining to their application.
The closed-door meeting brought together 21 MPs from 10 countries, providing the participants a unique opportunity to hold candid and constructive discussions on cross-regional ASEAN trends related to civic freedoms. MPs took the opportunity to share concerns and best practices related to the state of civil and political rights in their own countries. Considerable focus was placed on the challenging situations facing Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia, as well as on more positive opportunities for progressive legislative reform in Myanmar and Malaysia. Key regional issues raised include the arbitrary dissolution of political parties and the use of broadly worded restrictions by governments to curtail fundamental freedoms.
MPs also held a lively debate on alternative approaches that could better maintain public order while ensuring respect for individual rights. A legal revision session allowed MPs to develop and increase their understanding on drafting legislation that safeguards basic freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.
Before the conclusion of the event, MPs explored various tools and tactics that could be used to advance human rights advocacy efforts outside their formal roles in parliament. In particular MPs from Cambodia, Malaysia, and the Philippines shared strategies and initiatives that could contribute to the promotion and protection of fundamental freedoms. These could include the use of regional and international platforms to raise human rights concerns, as well as the need to develop and strengthen existing networks.
APHR and ICNL committed to following up on the ideas generated at the meeting in support of parliamentarians and their efforts to advance democracy and civic freedoms in Southeast Asia.
