[SIGN-ON] Civil Society Organizations Call for a Genuine and Robust ASEAN Environmental Rights Framework

April 30, 2024

We request your support in signing on to the statement below to call for strong action and engagement on environmental rights for the ASEAN region, particularly in the ongoing development of the ASEAN environmental rights framework :

https://tinyurl.com/CSOsforASEANEnvRights

 

Civil Society Organizations Call for a Genuine and Robust ASEAN Environmental Rights Framework

We, the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals, call for strong action and engagement on environmental rights for the ASEAN region, particularly in the ongoing development of the ASEAN environmental rights framework.

We in Southeast Asia have been facing significant environmental degradation and destruction that has worsened our vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. The negative environmental and socioeconomic consequences have devastated the lives and ways of living of millions across the region. In addition, environmental and human rights defenders (EHRDs) in the region have been subjected to vicious attacks due to their work in protecting ecosystems and upholding the rights of communities. The urgency of the situation demands that both government and civil society do their part to respond to current environmental issues. 

The ongoing process to develop an ASEAN environmental rights framework presents a great opportunity for all to advance the status of environmental rights in the region. Since 2021, the  ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has recognized the need for a regional instrument that promotes environmental rights and incorporates the narratives between human rights and environmental rights. In November 2022, the AICHR formed the ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group (AER WG), which has since conducted meetings to develop this first-ever environmental rights instrument for the region. A draft declaration on environmental rights is currently available for stakeholder consultation until the end of April. This draft will be discussed in the upcoming AER WG meeting in May. Once finalized, it will be submitted to AICHR for further review and discussion with other ASEAN sectoral bodies, particularly the ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment. Finally, it will be reviewed and considered for adoption by the ASEAN Member States.

The consultations and initial discussions with civil society that have taken place in the past two months reveal that there is still much that needs to be done to build a meaningful and effective ASEAN environmental rights framework. We express our utmost concern over having a non-legally binding declaration, with many of the articles on substantive elements for effective environmental protection (ie. air pollution and emissions standards, conservation, marine debris, and plastic pollution, etc.) being shortened or cut. In addition, the term “indigenous people” has been omitted. Compounding this devolution of the document is the short window of time and the lack of support for public stakeholder consultations, which strips away the rights of those local communities and EHRDs who will be ultimately affected by this framework to advocate for it to truly respond to their needs. 

We invite civil society to follow the developments and engage in the process of the institutionalization of the ASEAN environmental rights framework. Genuine participation is important, especially of communities that are most affected by climate change and are at high risk of attacks. 

We call for the following necessary inclusions to be accommodated and ensured in the document, to truly strengthen and uphold environmental rights and human rights in the region:

  1. Safeguards on the issues of clean air and transboundary haze, pollution control and a non-toxic environment, climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, land degradation, desertification, and drought, water, oceans and marine environment, coastal zones are being comprehensively addressed in the document as a part of substantive elements;
  2. Protection for environmental defenders who defend and promote environmental rights from threats, attacks, intimidation, criminalization, and/or lawsuits against them;
  3. Enforcing environmental rights both from procedural and substantive aspects;
  4. Promoting Environmental Impact Assessment as a legal document that is transparent, accessible, and understandable for everyone, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups including but not limited to women, children, the elderly, indigenous people, local communities, LGBTIA+ communities etc.; and
  5. Recognition of the intersectionality between environmental rights, human rights, and protection for vulnerable and marginalized groups in every development process that will affect the environment.

We urge the Working Group and other ASEAN bodies to incorporate the voices of civil society, follow existing international human and environmental rights standards, and build a genuine and more robust framework that will uphold environmental rights in the region.

 

Signed by:

(Updated as of July 23, 5:40PM PST)

Total: 89 signatories

41 ASEAN, non-ASEAN, and international organizations, 48 individuals

Organizations

ASEAN/International 

  1. ASEAN Youth Forum
  2. Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders
  3. Asian Research Institute for Environmental Law
  4. Indonesian Center for Environmental Law
  5. Youths United for Earth
  6. Center for Environmental Concerns – Philippines Inc.
  7. Center for Regulation Policy and Governance (Indonesia)
  8. Community Resource Centre (Thailand)
  9. POSSIBLE FUTURES
  10. Global Witness
  11. Ponlok Khmer (Cambodia)
  12. Feminist Minority Women’s Institute (Thailand)
  13. Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE)
  14. WALHI Central Kalimantan (Indonesia)
  15. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
  16. GreenCheck
  17. Institut Masa Depan Malaysia
  18. Tagum SDG Youth Action Force (Philippines)
  19. ASEAN SOGIE Caucus
  20. Women For Refugees (Malaysia)
  21. Cerah Clear Skies Society (Malaysia)
  22. Aksyon Klima Pilipinas
  23. Malaysian Youth Delegation
  24. The Weird and Wild 
  25. Singapore Youth for Climate Action
  26. SG Climate Rally
  27. Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (PEKA)
  28. Integrity and Anitcorruption Centre-Asia
  29. Replant World (Indonesia)
  30. Dala Institute (Indonesia)
  31. People’s Planet Project 
  32. The Iris Project
  33. Katahati Institute  (Indonesia)
  34. Yayasan Tropenbos Indonesia
  35. EcoCupid
  36. SAVE Rivers
  37. Institute of Energy and Development Studies (IEDS) (Indonesia)
  • 1 requested to not be named

 

Non-ASEAN 

  1. JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF)
  2. KOTHOWAIN (Vulnerable Peoples Development Organization)  (Bandarban Hill Tract, Bangladesh)
  3. SUKAAR WELFARE ORGANIZATION (Pakistan)

Individuals

  1. Fithriyyah
  2. Muhammad Rhaka Katresna
  3. Claire Lajaunie
  4. Tan Win Xuan
  5. I Nyoman Triyanuartha
  6. Indah Abayan
  7. Jose A.
  8. Randy Febrian
  9. Goh Si Xuan Kymberly
  10. Hannah Grey
  11. Steven Setiawan
  12. Gabrielle
  13. Alyssa Erin Kardos Loera
  14. Racy 
  15. Naeem
  16. Amelia Lim
  17. Shiying He
  18. Yu Xuan Tan
  19. Eulis Utami
  20. Cheok Zi Yu
  21. Arielle
  22. Martin Angelo L. Esguerra
  23. Jay Wong
  24. Jimmy Tan San Tek 
  25. Margot de Groot van Embden
  26. Nadiah Rosli
  27. Navin Binwani
  28. Yazid Salahudeen Mikail
  29. Aliyah Bhuana
  30. Roni Saputra
  31. Danielle Choong
  32. Nadrah Wan Yusoff
  33. Azka Azifa
  34. Syufra Malina
  35. Siti Aisyah Novitri
  • 13  requested to not be named

SIGN-ON HERE: https://tinyurl.com/CSOsforASEANEnvRights