MALAYSIA TO HOST ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATIONS TO ADVANCE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT

PUTRAJAYA, April 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will host two regional consultations on human rights this week to strengthen ASEAN’s commitment to a people-centred and inclusive agenda.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement Sunday said the consultations, lead by Malaysia’s Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Edmund Bon Tai Soon, will take place on April 28 and 29.

The first consultation, the 2nd AICHR Consultation on the Human Right to Development to Enhance the ASEAN Community, to be held on April 28, will focus on realising Article 35 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration 2012, which reaffirms the right to development as a fundamental human right for all ASEAN citizens.

Subsequently, Malaysia will also host the AICHR Regional Consultation to Support the Development of the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (2026–2030) on April 29, in which this new plan will align with the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the Strategic Plans of Action.

“These consultations are part of Malaysia’s initiatives in the leadership of ASEAN this year and underscore AICHR’s commitment to shaping a people-centred, people-oriented and forward-looking human rights agenda,” said the statement.

The ministry added these consultations form part of Malaysia’s broader initiatives in ASEAN this year, which carries the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability” and underscore the regional body's efforts to advance inclusive, sustainable, and gender-responsive programmes.

These efforts aim to reduce poverty, protect human and environmental rights, and narrow development gaps across the region.

The consultations will further deliberate on Malaysia’s proposal for an ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

The proposal promotes an ASEAN-led, ASEAN-owned, whole-of-ASEAN approach to human rights, ensuring the right to development is not sidelined but championed at the highest level, the ministry added.

Delegates will also engage in thematic discussions on the intersection of human rights, peace, and development, and formulate strategies to enhance the protection of the right to development across all sectors.

Insights gathered from the consultations will contribute towards shaping the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (2026–2030), positioning human rights advancement as a central pillar of ASEAN community-building efforts.

-- BERNAMA