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Press Release - July 20, 2006
FHRC Hosts Important Regional Rights Meeting
Human rights professionals from across the Asia Pacific region will converge in Suva from July 31 to August 3 to attend the most comprehensive and regular regional meeting on human rights.
The 11 th annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) of National Human Rights Institutions will be held at the Holiday Inn and about 180 people are expected to attend.
The goal of the meeting is to enhance human rights cooperation in the Asia Pacific region through the promotion and strengthening of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs).
This is the first time the Fiji Human Rights Commission will host this prominent annual meeting. The Commission will take the position of the Chair of the APF for the next twelve months.
APF is a regional body of independent human rights institutions established in compliance with the fundamental criteria set out in the United Nations General Assembly endorsed “Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions,” commonly known as the Paris Principles.
APF helps strengthen human rights observance and advance human rights protection for the peoples of the region in a constructive and cooperative environment. It provides a framework of regional cooperation for the development and implementation of practical programs which aim to improve the enjoyment of human rights by individuals and vulnerable groups.
The current membership of APF includes Afghanistan , Australia , Fiji , India , Indonesia , Jordan , Malaysia , Mongolia , Nepal , New Zealand , Palestinian Territories , Philippines , Qatar , Republic of Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand and Timor Leste.
APF annual meetings are a mechanism for the practical advancement of human rights, as they bring together national human rights institutions, the UN, governments and NGOs in a harmonious, practical and largely non-political setting.
The highlights of this year's annual meeting include the following sessions:
• NHRIs and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular the right to education). Contributors will include the APF's Advisory Council of Jurists and international, regional and local experts;
• NHRIs and the International Labour Organisation (ILO): ILO Conventions and protections for Migrant Workers;
• Reports from the OHCHR, regional inter-governmental organisations and regional governments on the development and strengthening of NHRIs; and
• NHRI-NGO Discussion on Human Rights Defenders.
Last year's annual meeting was held in Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia .