NHRC, India hosts 19th Annual General Meeting of the APF from 3rd - 5th September, 2014 (29.08.2014)
CURTAIN RAISER
New Delhi, 29th August, 2014
The National Human Rights Commission is hosting the 19th Annual General Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions along with the meeting of the APF Forum Councillors in New Delhi from the 3rd to 5th September, 2014. This is the 3rd occasion for the NHRC, India to host the largest regular human rights event in the Asia Pacific Region. Earlier, it had organised 2nd and 7th APF Annual General Meetings of the APF in 1997 & 2002, respectively.
The APF includes 15 Full Member NHRIs and six Associate Member NHRIs from across the breadth of the Asia Pacific Region to promote effective international, regional and national cooperation and coordination on the issues of protection and promotion of human rights of the people of the Asia Pacific and to help establish and strengthen the NHRIs which, in full conformity with the Paris Principles, are financially and infrastructure-wise fully independent of the Governments.
The APF Annual Meeting is the major decision making Forum and a catalyst for developing agreed new programmes and common policy positions. During the meeting of the APF Forum Councillors and Annual General Meeting, among other things, APF Strategic Planning 2015-2020, adoption of agenda and APF's Annual Operation Plan for 2015-2016, will be discussed.
There will be a dialogue between the Forum Councillors who comprise the elected representatives of the NHRIs of the region and NGOs/Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI). The dialogue will provide an opportunity for APF NHRIs and civil society representatives to discuss practical and constructive ways in which they can engage and cooperate on the APF's Strategic Plan (2015-2020).
This Plan includes five Strategic Objectives which are: Building Capacity of Member NHRIs through training and dialogue; Advising Member Governments and Civil Society in the region on the functioning of National Human Rights Institutions; Exchanging information and experiences by building cooperation and developing professional human rights networks to encourage peer to peer learning; Engaging regionally and internationally to promote Member NHRIs' participation and views to share their expertise with others at different Forums including UN Bodies, ASEAN, Arab League, Pacific Island Forum, ANNI, etc.; and Promoting gender equality and mainstreaming gender across all the work of the APF.
The priority human rights issues for the APF to address from 2015 to 2020 are: Fostering human rights peace and security by addressing the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights with priority accorded to children, women, people with disabilities, mass movement of people (asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, internally and externally displaced persons), older persons and business and human rights.
Besides this, the subject of the focus of each Member NHRI in five areas will be discussed which is expected to focus on complaint management, building awareness through education, training and research and national enquiries and campaigns, cooperation with civil society, monitoring of human rights situation and engagement with international and regional bodies and mechanisms.
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New Delhi, 29th August, 2014
The National Human Rights Commission is hosting the 19th Annual General Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions along with the meeting of the APF Forum Councillors in New Delhi from the 3rd to 5th September, 2014. This is the 3rd occasion for the NHRC, India to host the largest regular human rights event in the Asia Pacific Region. Earlier, it had organised 2nd and 7th APF Annual General Meetings of the APF in 1997 & 2002, respectively.
The APF includes 15 Full Member NHRIs and six Associate Member NHRIs from across the breadth of the Asia Pacific Region to promote effective international, regional and national cooperation and coordination on the issues of protection and promotion of human rights of the people of the Asia Pacific and to help establish and strengthen the NHRIs which, in full conformity with the Paris Principles, are financially and infrastructure-wise fully independent of the Governments.
The APF Annual Meeting is the major decision making Forum and a catalyst for developing agreed new programmes and common policy positions. During the meeting of the APF Forum Councillors and Annual General Meeting, among other things, APF Strategic Planning 2015-2020, adoption of agenda and APF's Annual Operation Plan for 2015-2016, will be discussed.
There will be a dialogue between the Forum Councillors who comprise the elected representatives of the NHRIs of the region and NGOs/Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI). The dialogue will provide an opportunity for APF NHRIs and civil society representatives to discuss practical and constructive ways in which they can engage and cooperate on the APF's Strategic Plan (2015-2020).
This Plan includes five Strategic Objectives which are: Building Capacity of Member NHRIs through training and dialogue; Advising Member Governments and Civil Society in the region on the functioning of National Human Rights Institutions; Exchanging information and experiences by building cooperation and developing professional human rights networks to encourage peer to peer learning; Engaging regionally and internationally to promote Member NHRIs' participation and views to share their expertise with others at different Forums including UN Bodies, ASEAN, Arab League, Pacific Island Forum, ANNI, etc.; and Promoting gender equality and mainstreaming gender across all the work of the APF.
The priority human rights issues for the APF to address from 2015 to 2020 are: Fostering human rights peace and security by addressing the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights with priority accorded to children, women, people with disabilities, mass movement of people (asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, internally and externally displaced persons), older persons and business and human rights.
Besides this, the subject of the focus of each Member NHRI in five areas will be discussed which is expected to focus on complaint management, building awareness through education, training and research and national enquiries and campaigns, cooperation with civil society, monitoring of human rights situation and engagement with international and regional bodies and mechanisms.
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