Collaboration between NHRIs and regional inter-governmental mechanisms

Many of the pressing human rights issues in our region today cross national borders. They include the impacts of climate change and environmental damage, public health emergencies, the rights of migrant workers, human trafficking and the human rights impacts of business operations.

Unlike Africa, the Americas and Europe, the Asia Pacific does not have a region-wide inter-governmental system — such as treaties, courts, a commission or other institutions — to protect and promote human rights.

This makes it even more important to encourage strong and strategic engagement between all institutions with a responsibility to develop policies or take action on human rights issues.

The APF has brought together two powerful agents for change in the Asia Pacific: national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and regional inter-governmental mechanisms.

By establishing regular platforms for dialogue, NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms have had opportunities to share their expertise and develop strategies that improve people’s lives and build strong, resilient communities.

Through the project, APF members have developed a Good Practice Guide on Promoting Collaboration Between National Human Rights Institutions and Regional Intergovernmental Mechanisms.  

Learn more

• Collaboration in South-East Asia
• Collaboration in the Pacific
• Supporting action on environmental rights and climate change

Establishing dialogue for change

Inter-governmental mechanisms seek to promote peace, prosperity and partnerships among their member States. In pursuing this vision, many of the issues they address involve common human rights challenges facing communities across their sub-region.

State representatives to inter-governmental mechanisms rely on rigorous advice and analysis to shape region-wide policies that respond to these challenges and strengthen national and regional institutions.

The unique mandate of NHRIs means they can add significant value to these discussions, including to support the integration of rights-based approaches into policies and actions. NHRIs can also play a vital role to promote implementation of these policies and actions at the national level.

Building partnerships for human rights

In bringing together representatives from NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms for a series of facilitated roundtable discussions, we:

• Build recognition of the unique and complementary roles of NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms to promote and protect human rights
• Develop a shared understanding of the means to address region-wide human rights issues
• Identify opportunities for collaboration between NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms on human rights issues of shared concern
• Generate positive sentiment about the value of collaboration and a commitment to ongoing dialogue in support of future joint initiatives.
  

Priority focus: Environmental rights and climate change

Through a series of strategic national activities, selected NHRIs have conducted research and engaged with communities and other key stakeholders. They have also shared their analysis with their inter-governmental mechanism and discussed policy and planning measures that best respond to the issues they identify. This forms the basis for a joint outcomes paper.

Project activities

Activities for our multi-year project commenced in February 2022. 

In collaboration with participating NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms, we:

• Designed and implemented blended learning courses for NHRIs in South-East Asia and the Pacific on environmental rights and climate change
• Established online communities of practice for NHRIs in South-East Asia and the Pacific to discuss effective approaches for engaging with their inter-governmental mechanism
• Supported roundtable dialogues in South-East Asia and the Pacific for NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms, with a focus on environmental rights and climate change
• Established a small grants program for selected NHRIs to support national research and stakeholder consultations on environmental rights and climate change
• Supported NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms to develop a joint outcomes paper on human rights and climate change
• Supported NHRIs to establish focal points for engaging with their inter-governmental mechanism.

Our goal is to lay the foundation for an ongoing, formalised relationship between NHRIs and inter-governmental mechanisms to address human rights issues in the Asia Pacific.