Nov 9, 2020 | BHR, CCHR, Opinion Articles
By Mercy Barends
MP, Indonesia
Our oceans are facing a daunting crisis: They are being filled with plastic. Many of us are well aware of this environmental and human rights catastrophe, but we are yet to rise to the challenge. In Southeast Asia, our seas and rivers are clogged by plastic waste and maritime species are washing up on our shores with kilos of plastic in their stomachs. I should know, I am an MP from the second-worst plastic polluter in the world: Indonesia.
That is why today, on World Maritime Day, I would like to see my country reverse this position and become one of the world’s leaders in tackling this global issue. This will not be easy but it is a challenge we can no longer ignore.
This year Indonesia made headlines when it decided to send back containers of plastic waste coming from Australia and other Western nations. It was joined by other regional neighbors such as Malaysia and the Philippines. In June 2019, ASEAN member states also adopted the Bangkok Declaration and Framework of Action for combating marine debris.
While such decisions are welcomed, they only scratch the surface. Our lives are anchored to plastic: from what we eat, the cosmetic products we use, the streets we walk on. In Southeast Asia, millions of people’s livelihoods are entirely dependent on plastic: from waste pickers to plastic production workers.
In this context, declarations of good intentions will not be enough, nor fast enough. We need a combination of awareness-raising, behavioral change at the societal level and to take difficult but necessary policy decisions at the national level to tackle the issue from production right through to waste management. Countries must create a mechanism that binds countries into action. But countries also need not forget a — too often overlooked — major aspect of this issue: gender.
Let us take the example of the plastic production process. The few studies that were undertaken on this issue point out that female plastic workers are at increased risk of infertility and breast cancer. At the consumption level, women and girls are more likely to be exposed to microplastics, as they are widely used in makeup, nail polish or period products.
Now let’s look at recycling. In Southeast Asia, you are likely to see women handpick plastic from piles of waste for recycling. These informal waste pickers are a crucial part of the recycling system in the region. In Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, 85 percent of the plastic extraction for recycling occurs at the waste-picking stage, rather than at home. But because there is no formal recycling system, waste pickers often have low incomes and little protection against chemicals.
Finally, what of the impact of plastic pollution? In coastal communities in Southeast Asia, primarily men go out to sea to catch fish while women collect crabs, shellfish, and small fish at the shore. When beach litter increases, women’s income shrinks. When marine plastic litter increases, men’s income shrinks.
However, despite mounting evidence, this gendered dynamic has been ignored by governments and policymakers. In Asia less than 20 percent of parliamentarians, like myself, are women. The patriarchal society in which we live means that we, women, have been excluded from decision-making at all levels. This is also true when it comes to plastic pollution. A flagrant illustration is that the recent ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris makes no mention of gender.
Because women play a unique role in plastic management and face a different — and sometimes greater — impact of plastic pollution, there can be no comprehensive and durable solutions without their contribution.
As a region made up of some of the worlds’ top plastic polluters, notably, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, it is time that ASEAN steps up its commitments. The ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris is not enough. It focuses on waste management over plastic production, is not binding on states and does not integrate gender.
Today reminds us of the importance of our oceans, and of the urgency with which our governments must react. It is now time for the next step: ASEAN must take binding regional action that tackles the differentiated and gendered impacts of plastic on people, from its production to pollution.
This article was originally published in The Diplomat.
Nov 9, 2020 | BHR, Opinion Articles
By Mu Sochua
Former MP, Cambodia
Before becoming a forest ranger, Theun Soknay was a student at a boarding school in Mondulkiri province. He later worked as a tour guide at the Bunong Place, and obtained a bachelor’s degree, before working at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for four years, where he developed the Jahoo Gibbon Camp. In 2017, his passion for preserving the environment led him to pass the national exam to become an official ranger with the Ministry of Environment.
From the Bunong indigenous community, he was determined to protect his ancestors’ forest. But Soknay was gunned down on January 30 as he was on patrol, along with Thol Khna, a staff member of Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia, and Sok Vathana, a military police officer.
The authorities are now claiming an alleged confrontation as the cause of the murders and have arrested six suspects, charging them with premeditated murder. This sounds eerily familiar to the alleged circumstances surrounding well-known environmental activist Chut Wutty’s death back in 2012, and to that of many other forest rangers killed since without any independent investigations having been undertaken. Unfortunately, those arrested are not always the real killers, and even less often those who are truly responsible for the dangerous conditions in which Soknay and his colleagues find themselves in.
The real cause of these tragedies lies in the illegal logging industry in Cambodia that supplies China’s insatiable demand for rosewood timber to be turned into luxury furniture. This industry was valued at a whopping $2 billion by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency in 2014, with Cambodia occupying the fifth place in the list of biggest contributors.
[easy-tweet tweet=”The illegal logging industry in Cambodia that supplies China’s insatiable demand for rosewood timber to be turned into luxury furniture” user=”aseanmp” hashtags=”cambodia”]
Despite Prime Minister Hun Sen’s promise to give his life to stop illegal logging, a government ban on timber exports to Vietnam in January and the creation of a high-level task force headed by National Military Police Commander Sao Sokha in early 2017, illegal logging continues in Cambodia’s national parks, in community protected areas, in areas designated as land concessions, and in wildlife sanctuaries.
This is all happening under the full control of business tycoons like Try Pheap and Kith Meng, who have close links with the ruling party. Millions of dollars are paid as bribes to provincial and district governors and officials in the armed and police forces to protect the industry. Impunity reigns, while ministry officials point fingers at one another. Meanwhile, proud foot soldiers, border patrol agents, and hardworking forest rangers on patrol have become easy targets for high-ranking officials working for the big companies.
Saving what remains of Cambodia’s forests will be even harder now that the ruling party has effectively hijacked the country and cracked down on free speech, dissolving the main opposition party, labelling human rights workers and environmental activists as part of a “colour revolution”, and shutting down independent media.
But that doesn’t mean we should give up the fight. We must remind those responsible – such as the minister of environment – that this is not about party politics. Regardless of who wins the elections or who is in charge, protection of our environment and of our natural resources must be a priority.
[easy-tweet tweet=”Protection of our environment and of our natural resources must be a priority.” user=”aseanmp” hashtags=”cambodia”]
The murder of those who seek to protect our forests must be investigated independently, so that no doubt may arise over the real circumstances of their deaths. The minister of environment should be the first to lead this fight, to show that the murder of Soknai – one of his own staff – will not go unpunished.
Meanwhile, we all have a part to play in honouring these heroes who believed in saving Cambodia’s forests and paid for it with their lives. Forgetting them would mean giving up the fight.
This article was originally published in The Phnom Penh Post.
Nov 9, 2020 | BHR, CCHR, RM, Statements
PHNOM PENH – As senior decision-makers and stakeholders from the economic sector gather in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the World Economic Forum on ASEAN starting today, regional parliamentarians urged participants, as well as all Southeast Asian leaders, to ensure that human rights concerns are integrated into all regional discussions of economic policies.
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) welcomed the attention paid to Southeast Asia by global economic leaders, but argued that economic development should not come at the expense of human rights, which the collective of regional legislators warned are under threat region-wide.
“High levels of GDP growth might be impressive to investors, but it’s not clear that those benefits are being felt by all ASEAN citizens. We cannot forget that underlying inequalities and recurrent human rights violations are threatening the sustainability of economic gains,” said APHR Chairperson Charles Santiago, a member of the Malaysian Parliament.
“These inequalities and violations must be addressed with urgency through coordinated regional action, including by resolving deficiencies in the current business-centered approach to regional integration. ASEAN, member governments, the private sector, and international partners all need to step up, especially as ASEAN celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Regional integration must be truly people-centered.”
Throughout Southeast Asia, rapid economic development has had wide-ranging impacts on people’s livelihoods, including in many cases, damaging effects on human rights. Large-scale development and investment projects have resulted in thousands being forcibly evicted from their homes, with little or no recourse or due process, including in Cambodia, where this week’s Forum is taking place.
Many of these projects have also had detrimental impacts on the environment, as the region’s rich natural resources continue to be exploited with little restraint in the rush to grow the region economically. Those who speak out against these abuses are often targeted by the authorities, and land rights defenders have become some of the most vulnerable individuals in the region.
“We are witnessing the same thing happening in country after country: the drive for economic growth is all too often coming at the expense of human rights, as people are pushed off their land and then punished for speaking out about it,” said APHR Vice Chair Eva Sundari, a member of the House of Representatives of Indonesia.
“The exploitation of natural resources and land also frequently fails to acknowledge the many ethnic minorities and indigenous communities, whose livelihoods and culture are gradually being eroded in the name of development. We also need to acknowledge that, in many cases, legislation and its implementation have led to this agony. All political leaders, especially lawmakers, need to work harder to integrate human rights perspectives into legislation related to economic development.”
Labor rights have also been undermined, as the region has failed to put in place mechanisms to adequately protect workers, including migrant workers.
“Thousands of workers in Southeast Asia continue to work in deplorable conditions, for pay that often fails to meet their daily needs, while their legitimate right to organize is curtailed. ASEAN governments must have the political will to implement robust protections for workers, rather than siding with corporate actors instead of their own people,” Sundari said.
“MPs are crucial in this process, as they must be the oversight mechanism to make sure that labor rights and all human rights are being protected and fulfilled. Legislatures must mainstream human rights into all of their core functions, from legislation drafting to oversight to budgeting.”
Parliamentarians also raised concerns about free trade agreements, including the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), negotiations over which are currently being held in Manila. The negotiations aim to finalize the agreement between the ten ASEAN member states and six major regional trading partners. It is crucial for human rights to be placed at the center of these discussions and for negotiators to address concerns about the potential impacts of the deal on vulnerable populations, including the poor, APHR said.
“RCEP negotiators must reject measures that undermine basic human rights, like the right to health and the right to an adequate standard of living. And they must ensure that sufficient labor rights protections exist so that companies can’t trample on the rights of workers,” Charles Santiago said.
“In all cases, free trade agreements should be conditional on improving human rights region-wide; otherwise governments will continue to reap benefits without being held to account for systematically abusing their own citizens,” he added.
As ASEAN celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, parliamentarians urged member states to use platforms such as this week’s World Economic Forum to mainstream human rights into economic and development policies. MPs also called on governments to address persistent economic inequality, which they noted is one of a range of driving factors in atrocity crimes.
“ASEAN has achieved a lot in its first 50 years, but there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done, especially in terms of human rights. We need to have a serious discussion about how policies can work for all of ASEAN’s citizens, and not just the privileged few,” said Santiago.
