Will the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission of Human Rights (AICHR) Grow Its Teeth?
Abstract: ASEAN
Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was established in 2009.
Its main functions are to promote and to protect human rights and fundamental
freedoms of the people of ASEAN. Since the beginning of its formation, AICHR
has been criticized for being a toothless institution. This is because of the
weak nature and power given to this body. This paper analyzes what the future
lies for AICHR. Will it continue to become a partial human rights mechanism or
will it transform into an independent human rights body. It is argues that
several factors will determine the future of AICHR. Firstly, is the ability of
AICHR in internalizing human rights norms. Secondly, is the commitment of ASEAN
countries to human rights promotion and protection. Thirdly, is the endless
endeavor coming from civil society not only criticizing but also supporting
AICHR. The structure of this paper is as follows. The first section elaborates
theories on why states join or signing human rights regime or treaties. This
will be followed by providing a brief profile of ASEAN and emphasizing on the
organization norms. Next, the paper explains the anatomy of AICHR and provides
brief comparison between AICHR and several regional human rights systems. The
origin and the development of AICHR are discussed in the next section, followed
by analyzing the future of AICHR.
Penulis: Yessi Olivia
Kode Jurnal: jphubintdd140281
