History

The APF was established in humble circumstances in 1996 when four national human rights institutions met in Darwin, Australia.

This first regional meeting brought together the national human rights commissions of Australia, India, Indonesia and New Zealand, along with a number of regional governments and non-governmental organisations.

The Larrakia Declaration, adopted at the conclusion of that meeting, outlined two primary objectives for the new organisation:

• to provide support to governments in the region to establish and develop national human rights institutions, and
• to expand mutual support, cooperation and joint activity among member institutions.

Growing membership

Since then, the APF has expanded rapidly to include members from across the breadth of the Asia Pacific region.

We have played a direct role in this growth, by advising and providing legal drafting assistance to the governments and parliaments of Afghanistan, Fiji, Jordan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Timor-Leste on the creation of their national human rights institutions.

Through this work, the APF has helped ensure that these institutions were established in accordance with the international standards set out in the Paris Principles.

The range of services we provide – including advice, training, capacity building, professional networks and staff exchanges – has also expanded to meet the evolving needs of our members, governments and civil society.

Impact at a national level

Given the role of our member institutions, the APF is uniquely positioned to have a direct impact on the development of human rights laws and practices within States themselves.

For example, our members have used the legal analysis and recommendations of the Advisory Council of Jurists, the APF’s judicial body, to successfully advocate for domestic law reforms.

Individual APF members have also established cooperative arrangements with each other to monitor and respond to shared human rights concerns, including human trafficking and the rights of migrant workers.

Impact at the international level

A key strength of the APF is the willingness of our members to develop common policy positions and advocacy strategies. This has been crucial to our success in driving important developments at the international level.

For example, the APF’s lobbying efforts were crucial in the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities recognising the necessity of involving independent national bodies, operating in accordance with the Paris Principles, in the domestic implementation and monitoring of the Convention.

The sustained advocacy of the APF was also pivotal in securing participation rights for all ‘A status’ national human rights institutions in the UN Human Rights Council, when the Council replaced the former UN Commission on Human Rights in 2007.

Secretariat

Between 1996 and 2001, the APF secretariat was hosted by the Australian Human Rights Commission. In 2002 the APF was incorporated as an independent, non-profit organisation.

For more detailed information about the history, growth and achievements of the APF, please refer to our annual reports and the reports presented at our annual meetings.