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Event : SEO Network event

2014 SEO Network Meeting

Graphic: Demonstration in Malaysia

Event starts

23 Jun 2014

Event ends

24 Jun 2014

Venue

Sydney, Australia
Australia
Business Migrants Monitoring

Sharing good practice on monitoring demonstrations and conflict was one of the key issues at the 2014 SEO Meeting.


Senior Executive Officers (SEOs) representing national human rights institutions from across the Asia Pacific met in Sydney in June 2014 for the annual SEO Network roundtable.

During the course of the two-day meeting, participants discussed a broad range of activities undertaken by their respective institutions. These included initiatives to build cooperative relationships with their key stakeholders, such as government, parliament and the judiciary; working with business and industry on upholding human rights standards; and encouraging cross-regional collaboration in relation to refugees and asylum seekers.

In addition, representatives from the NHRIs of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Malaysia described their recent work to monitor and report on demonstrations, civil unrest and elections.

Some of the issues raised during the discussion included:

  • The need to develop a nuanced approach to monitoring that considers all aspects of the situation
  • The need to maintain constructive relationships in order to ensure access to people and places, particularly to people who are detained
  • The importance of providing staff with relevant training – for example, on police practices – and ensuring their safety
  • The difficulty of monitoring events in close urban environments
  • The importance of having up-to-date information, by monitoring media reports and through engaging with relevant civil society organisations.

At the conclusion of this session, SEO Network members agreed to share additional information on their current practice and procedures for monitoring demonstrations and situations of civil unrest or internal conflict.

Once this information is available, the APF will consider developing a "good practice guide" for national human rights institutions.

The proposed resource would feature case studies from a range of APF member institutions and provide practical information on training and equipping NHRI staff, as well as ensuring their safety during monitoring activities.

Meeting papers and presentations

Program

Summary of Proceedings

Session 1: The Role of The SEO In Facilitating Key Stakeholders Relationships

National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia

National Human Rights Commission of Nepal

Session 2: Asylum Seekers and Refugees – NHRI Roles and Regional Cooperation

Overview of Regional Developments in Refugee Protection, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network

UNHCR Regional Operations Report 2014

Session 3: NHRIs in Times of Conflict and National Reconciliation

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka

National Human Rights Commission of Thailand

NHRIs in North Africa

ICC General Observations

International NHRI Roundtable, Record of Proceedings

OHCHR Guidance Note

OHCHR Manual

Session 4: Business and Human Rights

National Human Rights Commission of Korea

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia


Image credits

  1. Demonstration in Malaysia - Hanif Omar, Flickr; http://bit.ly/1OHzjM7