Kuala lumpur: The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) is preparing to adopt two significant human rights declarations at the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit, representing a crucial advancement for the region’s human rights framework under Malaysia’s leadership.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia’s AICHR representative, Edmund Bon Tai Soon, revealed that the two declarations-the ‘ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment’ and the ‘Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and Peace, Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development’-have been in the works for two years and are close to finalization.

Bon underscored the importance of these declarations, noting that their adoption would mark only the second time since the 2012 ASEAN Human Rights Declaration that ASEAN has adopted a human rights declaration. He emphasized the strong backing, led by Malaysia, for the environmental declaration in response to escalating regional issues like climate change and pollution.

The proposed environmental declaration seeks to integrate key human rights principles, offering a structured approach to addressing challenges such as pollution. Bon highlighted that the declaration could provide a concrete framework for action, while the second declaration would focus on the right to development and peace, expanding on ASEAN’s 2012 commitments.

Bon elaborated that the right to development is a distinct ASEAN concept, encompassing political, social, and cultural development beyond mere economic growth. He stressed that if both declarations are adopted, it would be a groundbreaking achievement for ASEAN, making them tools that people across the region could utilize.

Bon, who also chairs AICHR, pointed out the commission’s ongoing efforts to enhance ASEAN’s peacebuilding strategies, particularly in light of regional conflicts. AICHR has been organizing workshops to develop a standardized framework for conflict response, aiming to institutionalize peace efforts.

Additionally, Bon mentioned Malaysia’s proposal for November 18 to be designated as ASEAN Human Rights Day, though a final decision has yet to be made. Vietnam’s AICHR representative, Nguyen Trung Thanh, also voiced the importance of reinforcing ASEAN’s unity and adaptability in an evolving global landscape.

The upcoming summit is poised to be a pivotal moment for ASEAN’s human rights agenda, with potential long-term implications for the region’s development and peace initiatives.