Charting the evolution of the ASEAN’s consensus on human rights, 2007–2021

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive understanding of the roles and functions of ASEAN’s human rights regime by building on widely documented, consistent findings relating to the purpose of the association and the nature of its human rights institutions. In particular, the paper starts by emphasizing that, despite continuing debate over the nature and achievements/failures of the regional grouping, scholarship tends to converge on the two important aspects: ASEAN’s normative framework and its long-standing practice of ‘quiet diplomacy’ are designed to reassure incumbent governments weary of unwanted interference in internal affairs; and regional human rights institutions are primarily ASEAN bodies. These findings are formulated as assumptions guiding the analysis of the association’s human rights rhetoric and practice, which centers on the evolution of intergovernmental consensus, the role of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in advancing this consensus, and an assessment of ASEAN responses to gross violations perpetrated or supported by governing elites. This latter examination details regional responses to the 2014 military coup in Thailand, Philippines’ brutal and largely extrajudicial ‘war on drugs’, the Rohingya genocide, and the 2021 military coup in Myanmar and ensuing violence.

Keywords:

• AICHR
• ASEAN
• human rights
• government survival
• ASEAN consensus

Notes

1 Unless otherwise cited, information and data used in this paper may be found in various documents available on the AICHR official website, https://aichr.org/.

2 In June 2021, the AICHR held a “Consultation on Mainstreaming Human Rights in Humanitarian Actions”, information available on its official website.

3 See ALTSEAN-Burma website https://altsean.org/, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights https://aseanmp.org/; FORUM-ASIA https://www.forum-asia.org/, and ASEAN Youth Forum https://aseanyouthforum.org/ .

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Atena S. Feraru

Atena S. Feraru obtained her PhD in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Politics at National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. She is the author of the book ‘State weakness, vulnerable governments, and regional cooperation: An ASEAN case study’ (2022) and published articles in International Studies Review and Asian Development Policy Review. Her research interests focus on the ASEAN and Southeast Asian politics, state weakness, non-Western regional cooperation, and international relations theory.