On 5 December 2016, CRC Asia brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) in the region, sectoral bodies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) to Bohol, Philippines to talk about opportunities of collaboration in working for children’s rights and to promote the strengthening of reporting and monitoring of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Asia.
In October this year, the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) finalized its Work Plan for 2016-2020. This builds on the accomplishments and follow-ups on the previous five-year Work Plan. It also includes new efforts that are in-line with the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children (RPA).
The Work Plans are divided into 18 thematic areas with identified lead and supporting countries. From 2012 to 2016, the ACWC and the 10 ASEAN member states had engaged with civil society organizations in implementing some of the thematic areas. For example, the ACWC has worked with CRC Asia in implementing a project on creating an enabling environment for child participation in ASEAN.
CRC Asia organized this dialogue meeting as a venue of engagement between ASEAN representatives and regional child rights organizations and networks in the identification of opportunities for civil society to support the new ACWC Work Plan.
Since the ACWC has the function to promote the implementation of international child rights instruments and to assist the ASEAN Member States in preparing reports to the CRC and implementing concluding observations, CRC Asia used this opportunity so that participants can identify action points for the strengthening of reporting and monitoring of the UNCRC implementation.
The meeting was attended by the Atty. Wanchai Rujanowong, Thailand Representative to the ACWC and Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan, who was sent in lieu of Mr. Danh Hoa Nam, Vietnam Representative on Children’s Rights to the ACWC. They shared thematic areas in the ACWC Work Plan and identified opportunities for civil society to support these thematic areas.
Usec. Florita Villar, the Philippine Focal Point in the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMWSD), presented the current activities and future plans of SOMSWD, specifically on children’s rights.
CRC Asia’s Regional Executive Director and former Philippine Representative to the ACWC, Ms. Amihan Abueva, explained the ACWC Work Plan and identified opportunities for CSOs to support the plan.
Later, Atty. Yasmeen Sharriff, Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child shared ideas on how to strengthen the reporting of the UNCRC implementation and monitoring of concluding observations in ASEAN.
Civil society organizations were given fifteen minutes each to present their organization’s regional child rights advocacies and programs related to the ACWC or SOMSWD.
At the end of Day 1, the participants discussed points for collaboration.
On Day 2, they will visit Brgy. Doljo, a community supported by ECPAT Philippines.
View photos of the meeting here.
