The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay, met the representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) during the 7th AICHR meeting in Bali on 28 November 2011. She stressed the importance of supporting ASEAN in its process of reform, particularly in relation to the development of its human rights mechanisms. She also met the representatives of the four national human rights institutions in ASEAN countries that are members of the South East Asia National Human Rights Institution Forum. For further information, please contact: The ASEAN Secretariat, 70A Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jakarta 12110 Indonesia; ph (6221) 7262991, 7243372; fax (6221) 7398234, 7243504; www.asean.org
The 4th Regional Civil Society Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights was held in Bali on 27 November 2011. Ms. Navanethem Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was the main speaker in the consultation. She emphasized that the “active and sustained engagement of civil society is imperative” in moving the “human rights agenda forward in a manner that ensures positive outcomes for people” in Southeast Asia. The representatives of the Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights and the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism attended the consultation. For further information, please contact: Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), 246 Times Square Building, 12 Fl., Room 12-01, Sukhumvit Road, Between Soi 12-14, Klongton, Klongtoey, Bangkok, Thailand; ph (662) 653 2940-1; fax (662) 653 2940-1; e-mail: info@forum-asia.org; www.forum-asia.org
The “Human Rights and Business: Plural Legal Approaches to Conflict Resolution, Institutional Strengthening and Legal Reform”, was held in Bali, on 28 November to 1 December 2011, and convened by the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and supporting NGOs (SawitWatch and Forest Peoples Programme). The workshop brought together members of the Southeast Asian national human rights institutions, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission, indigenous peoples’ representatives, academics and NGO workers from around the world. For further information, please contact: Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Jl. Latuharhary No. 4B, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10310 Indonesia; ph (62 21) 3925230, ext. 208; fax (62 21) 3925227; e-mail: nurkholis70@yahoo.com>
The Institute of International Relations and Area Studies, Ritsumeikan University organized on 10-11 December 2011 an international conference entitled "Human Trafficking in East-Asia and Japan: Current Situations and Effective Counter Measures." The conference dealt with the situation of human trafficking in East Asia with a particular focus on Japan. Discussions included measures to effectively counter human trafficking. Lawyers, academics, and non-governmental organization workers attended the conference. The conference was co-organized by the Japan Network Against Trafficking in Persons (JNATIP). For further information, please contact: Institute of International Relations and Area Studies, Ritsumeikan University, 56-1 Kitamachi, Tojiin, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8577 Japan; ph (8175) 465-8244; fax (8175) 465-8245; e-mail: kokuchi@st.ritsumei.ac.jp; www.ritsumei.ac.jp/acd/re/k-rsc/ras/english/index-en.html