OHCHR - South East Asia Regional Office (2006-2007)

Background

The OHCHR Regional Office for Asia-Pacific was established in Bangkok in 2002 in order to strengthen OHCHR’s presence and partnerships in the region. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) hosts the Regional Office under a Memorandum of Intent signed with the High Commissioner for Human Rights in February 2001.

In the 2006-2007 biennium, the Office has been reorganized into a new Regional Office for South-East Asia, covering eleven countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam.
 

2006-2007 Programme

 
During 2006-2007 the Bangkok Office will assist South-East Asian states with the establishment of a regional human rights mechanism; the ratification of international human rights instruments; the implementation of the recommendations of treaty bodies and special procedures; the drafting of anti-terrorism measures in accordance with international human rights standards; the strengthening of the administration of justice; legislative reform; and the development of human rights education programmes.

The Regional Office will focus on providing human rights training programmes for various target groups to strengthen national capacities to promote and protect human rights. The Regional Office will work closely together with the Asia Pacific Forum to encourage, wherever appropriate, the establishment or strengthening of national human rights institutions, in line with the Paris Principles.

The Regional Office will render human rights advice and support to the United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations agencies and further develop strategic relationships with United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs). It will participate actively in the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes at all stages. One UNCT training workshop on the human rights based approach will be carried out in one of the priority countries per year, and at critical stages during the CCA/UNDAF process, wherever appropriate.

Advice will be provided to UNESCAP regarding human rights related aspects of its activities and a training workshop on the human rights-based approach will be carried out for UNESCAP staff once a year.

Expected Accomplishments

Strengthened networks of civil society actors and human rights defenders, particularly with regard to key thematic concerns: trafficking, good governance, human rights education, discrimination, and migration.

Enhanced national protection systems.