Lessons for an ASEAN human rights system

The first 200 words of this essay...

International and Regional Protection of Human Rights

(LLAW 6072)

Written Paper

Consider the ways in which the other regional human rights mechanisms could provide suitable precedents for the ASEAN Commission on Human Rights. What form do you think the Commission should take?

Introduction

There is no doubt that having human rights and a commission written into the ASEAN Charter signals a new dawn in the history of the Association. These are no small steps, given the huge differences in attitudes towards human rights in the region and the Association's strong adherence to the policy of non-interference. Whatever the motivations are for this human rights initiative, ASEAN appears to be compelled by the pressures of globalization to improve their systems of governance and narrow the gap between rich and poor. Without these improvements, the planned economic integration of the region's economies is likely to bring dire consequences which could threaten the very economic survival of the region. The apparent commitment to human rights protection appears to be part of this macro-economic picture.

In this paper, I will briefly compare the African, European and Inter-American systems of human rights protection in three areas, namely developmental approaches, sources