IPI Climate Change - Members of the Inquiry
Mercy Chriesty Barends
APHR Chairperson
Member of Parliament, Indonesia
Mercy Chriesty Barends is a Member of the House of Representatives in Indonesia for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) since 2014. Born in 1972 in Maluku Province, Eastern Indonesia, She holds a Bachelor Degree in Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture from the Pattimura University, in Ambon. A PDI Perjuangan member since 1999, her main motivation to enter politics was the acutely uneven development between the western and eastern regions of Indonesia. She has been very active on Climate Change issues through her work in Parliament, as well as internationally through her work in The Alliance of Parliamentarian Call for Fossil Free Future, the Global Alliance for Green New Deal, or Air Quality Asia. She is a Board Member of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a regional network of current and former parliamentarians who use their positions to advance human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia.
Charles Santiago
APHR Co-Chairperson
Chairperson, SPAN
Former Member of Parliament, Malaysia
Charles Santiago is a Malaysian Member of Parliament for the Klang constituency, in Selangor state, for the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Born in 1960, he was first elected to Parliament in 2008, and was the first Chairman of the Select Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Mr. Santiago holds a MA Degree in Political Economy from the New School for Social Research, in New York. He has worked with national and international NGOs such as the Coalition Against Water Privatisation in Malaysia and the Transnational Institute. He is also one of the initiators of the global initiative Parliamentarians Call for a Fossil Fuel Free Future. His areas of interests include international trade, human rights and democracy, climate change, and promoting alternatives to water privatisation. Mr. Santiago is the Chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a regional network of current and former parliamentarians who use their positions to advance human rights and democracy in Southeast Asia.
Nitipon Piwmow
APHR Member
Member of Parliament, Thailand
Nitipon Piwmow, born in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand, in 1982, is a Member of Parliament (MP) in Thailand since 2019 for the Move Forward Party (formerly known as the Future Forward Party), a progressive formation that emerged as the third most voted force in the 2019 General Elections, only one year after its foundation. A lawyer by formation, Mr Nitipon holds a Bachelor Degree in Law from Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, and two Masters of Law from the University of Sussex (United Kingdom). As a Parliamentarian in Thailand, he has focused on environmental issues, and has held the positions of Spokesmen for the Land and National Resources and the Environmental Committee, and Chairman of the Sub-committee in Air Pollution, among others. Mr Nitipon is also a Barrister at Law in Thailand, and a consultant for the Save Elephant Foundation, as well as the head of environment policy for his own party.
Arlene Brosas
APHR Board Member
Member of Parliament, The Philippines
Arlene D. Brosas is a Filipina educator, child rights activist, and politician. She is a member of the Philippine House of Representatives for the 19th Congress and was part of the 18th Congress under the Gabriela Women's Party-list group. Previously, as spokesperson of the Anti-Child Pornography Alliance, along with other activists and civil society organizations, she successfully lobbied for the passage of Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Law that aims to protect the rights and welfare of Children.
Lee Chean Chung
APHR Member
Member of Parliament, Malaysia
Lee Chean Chung is Malaysian politician, researcher and environmental activist who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Petaling Jaya since November 2022. He served as Member of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Semambu from May 2013 to November 2022. He is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. He has also served as the Communications Director of PKR since July 2022, Vice Chairman of PKR of Pahang since 2019, Division Chief of PH of Indera Mahkota since 2018 and Division Chief of PKR of Indera Mahkota since 2011.
Format & Methodology
This inquiry will be conducted by parliamentarians and members of APHR from Southeast Asia, following a sound methodology and rules of procedure, informed by the format of parliamentary inquiries conducted in partnership with relevant parliament committees of the countries identified.
The inquiry will accept both written and oral submissions of testimony and evidence, if needed, from a wide variety of stakeholders (victims, community leaders, civil society, think tanks, diplomats, businesses etc.). Oral evidence will be heard through public hearings broadcast live (unless security requires otherwise). Upon collection of information and evidence the committee will draft a report with key findings and recommendations. The report will be presented at COP-29, to key decision makers at different levels, as well as to the general public.
In the same way that, on a national level, parliamentarians exercise oversight on executive actions, this inquiry would exercise a form of oversight on an international level on the comparable executive actions of the “international community.”
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) was founded in June 2013 with the objective of promoting democracy and human rights across Southeast Asia. Our founding members include many of the region's most progressive Members of Parliament (MPs), with a proven track record of human rights advocacy work.