NHRIs in South-East Asia have taken part in activities to strengthen their engagement with regional mechanisms on the right to a healthy environment.

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) from across South-East Asia have participated in an APF blended learning course and facilitated communities of practice on engaging with inter-governmental mechanisms (IGMs) on the right to a healthy environment and climate change.

The activities are part of a broader project, funded by the European Union, which aims to strengthen relationships between NHRIs and IGMs to address human rights issues in the Asia Pacific.

Through the project, NHRIs in South-East Asia and the Pacific are supported to develop their knowledge, understanding and capability to engage with their respective IGMs - the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

NHRI participants in South-East Asia have now successfully completed the blended learning course, which included an online course component and a face-to-face workshop, held in Bangkok.

The online course was held in the APF Community from 14 February to 31 May 2022, and covered the following topics:

• The right to a clean, safe, healthy and sustainable environment
• NHRI-IGM engagement on the right to a healthy environment and climate change
• Climate change and human rights
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relating to the right to a healthy environment

This online component was followed by a face-to-face workshop, ‘Engaging with IGMs on the right to a healthy environment and climate change’ held in Bangkok from 21-23 June 2022.

The three-day workshop was an opportunity for NHRI participants to consolidate and build on their learnings during the online course. During the workshop, participants identified opportunities and approaches to strengthen their engagement with their IGM representatives on the right to a healthy environment and climate change.

Participants also applied their knowledge and understanding by workshopping proposals for the IGM Project’s small grants program, funded by the EU and delivered by the APF.

The workshop was also a valuable opportunity for NHRI participants to connect and network with one another on the right to a healthy environment.

The APF will continue to support NHRIs to engage with their IGMs on environmental rights and climate change through the IGM project, with further dialogues planned in November 2022 and in 2023.

Date: 2 September 2022