Annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
The fifth Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) was held in Rotorua, New Zealand from the 7 to 9 August, 2000. The NHRC was represented by the Chairperson, Mr. Justice J.S. Verma, Member, Justice (Dr.) K. Ramaswamy, and the Secretary General, NHRC also accompanied.
On the 7 August, in a closed-door meeting of the Forum Members, Nepal Human Rights Commission was admitted as a Member.
An important issue, which was discussed in this meeting, was the Forum structure. There was general agreement with the view that a separate identity would be appropriate for the APF. The consensus favoured an in principle approval for the legal incorporation of the Forum, the establishment of an interim Board of Management and an Implementation Working Group. It was agreed that forum members will provide further suggestions, if any, within six weeks.
As regards the forthcoming World Conference against Racism, the APF decided to develop a coordinated position as the APF input to the Conference. It has been agreed that individual members would send reports on their plan of activities in relation to the World Conference and, based on this, the Secretariat of the APF will prepare a draft of the APF position.
There was considerable discussion on the role of National Institutions (NIs) in promoting democracy in the background of recent events in Fiji and in the presence of the representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Fiji. The Chairperson, NHRC played a significant role in moulding the opinion of the Forum Members, the Government representatives and the NGO representatives to accept the ideal of an inclusive democracy, not a democracy based only on majority rule and merely with reference to only the protection of human rights of the minorities and the vulnerable groups but positively in their representation in the economic and political processes. He also apprised the Conference about the April, 2000 meeting of the International Coordinating Committee in Geneva.
The meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum was formally inaugurated on 7 August 2000 by Ms. Margaret Wilson, the Attorney General and Associate Minister of Justice, Government of New Zealand.
On 8 August, in the Session on National Human Rights Institutions and the Protection and Promotion of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights International, Regional and National Strategies, considerable interest was shown by all in the formulation made by Mr. Paul Hunt, Vice Chairperson, United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, who put forward the idea that the Covenant could be used as a shield by vulnerable states against the pressure of international financial institutions to adopt structural adjustment programmes of the latter’s choice. Subsequently, there were parallel sessions on the United Nations Global Compact and National Human Rights Institutions, and National Human Rights Institutions and Governments.
In the session on Promoting Democracy: the Role of National Institutions and APF, a forceful presentation made by Dr. Shaista Shameem, Director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission and in the comments and discussions which followed, Justice J.S.Verma, Chairperson, NHRC, who was in the Chair, got the participants to agree unanimously to endorse the promotion of the ideal of inclusive democracy.
The third day was devoted to APF Regional Cooperation and in the two parallel workshops which followed the initial discussion, the Guidelines for the new NHRIs and the issue of NHRIs and Public Inquiries were discussed. There was a joint session of the Advisory Council of Jurists and the APF, when the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Death Penalty were presented. The next meeting of the APF is slated to be held in Sri Lanka in 2001.
On the 7 August, in a closed-door meeting of the Forum Members, Nepal Human Rights Commission was admitted as a Member.
An important issue, which was discussed in this meeting, was the Forum structure. There was general agreement with the view that a separate identity would be appropriate for the APF. The consensus favoured an in principle approval for the legal incorporation of the Forum, the establishment of an interim Board of Management and an Implementation Working Group. It was agreed that forum members will provide further suggestions, if any, within six weeks.
As regards the forthcoming World Conference against Racism, the APF decided to develop a coordinated position as the APF input to the Conference. It has been agreed that individual members would send reports on their plan of activities in relation to the World Conference and, based on this, the Secretariat of the APF will prepare a draft of the APF position.
There was considerable discussion on the role of National Institutions (NIs) in promoting democracy in the background of recent events in Fiji and in the presence of the representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Fiji. The Chairperson, NHRC played a significant role in moulding the opinion of the Forum Members, the Government representatives and the NGO representatives to accept the ideal of an inclusive democracy, not a democracy based only on majority rule and merely with reference to only the protection of human rights of the minorities and the vulnerable groups but positively in their representation in the economic and political processes. He also apprised the Conference about the April, 2000 meeting of the International Coordinating Committee in Geneva.
The meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum was formally inaugurated on 7 August 2000 by Ms. Margaret Wilson, the Attorney General and Associate Minister of Justice, Government of New Zealand.
On 8 August, in the Session on National Human Rights Institutions and the Protection and Promotion of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights International, Regional and National Strategies, considerable interest was shown by all in the formulation made by Mr. Paul Hunt, Vice Chairperson, United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, who put forward the idea that the Covenant could be used as a shield by vulnerable states against the pressure of international financial institutions to adopt structural adjustment programmes of the latter’s choice. Subsequently, there were parallel sessions on the United Nations Global Compact and National Human Rights Institutions, and National Human Rights Institutions and Governments.
In the session on Promoting Democracy: the Role of National Institutions and APF, a forceful presentation made by Dr. Shaista Shameem, Director of the Fiji Human Rights Commission and in the comments and discussions which followed, Justice J.S.Verma, Chairperson, NHRC, who was in the Chair, got the participants to agree unanimously to endorse the promotion of the ideal of inclusive democracy.
The third day was devoted to APF Regional Cooperation and in the two parallel workshops which followed the initial discussion, the Guidelines for the new NHRIs and the issue of NHRIs and Public Inquiries were discussed. There was a joint session of the Advisory Council of Jurists and the APF, when the recommendations of the Advisory Council on the Death Penalty were presented. The next meeting of the APF is slated to be held in Sri Lanka in 2001.