LETTER to UNSG: United Nations Regional Human Rights Commission in Asia.

Mr. António Guterres

Secretary General
United Nations

Dear Secretary General Guterres,

As a recognized UN organization together with Asian organizations and individuals listed below, we are writing to ask that you do all you can to bring about a United Nations Regional Human Rights Commission in Asia.

Considering that Asia is so large and diverse, the continent poses considerable challenges for organizations and individuals within the region to develop a harmonised approach to prevalent human rights issues, collaborate together and coordinate any human rights issues.

Also, the benefits of an Asian Human Rights UN-Connected Commission would include the following:

· Legitimizing and building a dialogue around human rights standards

· Creation of international and domestic goodwill

· Education of citizens, states, corporations, and organizations on the importance of respecting human rights

· Entitlement of individuals to go to local international forums

The success of Human Rights Commissions in the Americas, Africa, and Europe is a promising template that Asia should follow. For example, one of the discussion results has been voting by all those incarcerated.

Thus, your leadership is crucial to bringing about a Commission in Asia, the only continent that does not have this most important and most needed entity.

Respectfully,

Shahanur Islam
Secretary General
JusticeMakers Bangladesh
Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights(BIHR)

email: bihrbd@gmail.com, justicemakersbd@gmail.com

Brett Collins, Australia Co-chair Asian CURE Coalition

Charles Sullivan President International CURE*

Sarmad Ali. Pakistan Co-chair Asian CURE Coalition

 

Asian Countries	Name/org
Australia	Miranda Forsyth and John Braithwaite
	Centre for Restorative Justice
	Australian National University
	Brett Collins
	Coordinator
	JUSTICE ACTION
	John Braithwaite
	Emeritus
	School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet)
	Australian National University
	Lennon Chang
	Asia Pacific Forum for Restorative Justice
Bangladesh	Shahanur Islam
	Honorary Executive Director
	Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR)
	Mst. Jannatul Ferdaus
	Honorary Program Officer
	JusticeMakers Bangladesh
India	Fr. Dr. Sebastian Thekkanath
	Activist in human rights
	Former national director of Prison Ministry India
Indonesia	Colin Singer
	Chairperson
	Indonesia International Initiatives (TIGA-I)
Japan	Michael H. Fox
	Director
	Japan Innocence and Death Penalty Information Center.
	Hyogo University
	Kakogawa City
	Noriko Hiruma
	Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace
New Zealand	Jim Consedine
	Founding national coordinator –
	Restorative Justice Network
Pakistan	Sarmad Ali
	Executive Director
	Legal Awareness Watch Pakistan
	Waheed Ahmad
	Human Rights Consultant
	Advocate High Court
Palestine	Omar Rahal
	Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS
	Ramallah-Palestine
Philippines	Loreta Castro
	Center for Peace Education
	Miriam College, Quezon City
	Christine Vertucci
	Director, Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute Foundation, Inc.
	Davao City
Russia	ArchPriest Alexander Kosov
	Chairman of the Prison Ministry
	Department of the Krasnoyarsk Diocese
Sri Lanka	Jeeva Niriella
	Founding Dean, Faculty of Criminal Justice
	Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
Thailand	Miss Anchana Heemmina
	Duayjai Group
Vietnam	Father Harry J. Bury PhD
	Keys to the City (Ho Chi Minh)

 

International Organizations	Annemarie O’Connor
	Passionists International
	NGO Representative to the UN
	Aladdin P. Luzon, OSA
	Representative to the United Nations
	Augustinians International (AI)
	Kevin McBride
	for Pax Christi Aotearoa
	National section of Pax Christi International
	Marvie Misolas
	Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, Inc.
	(ECOSOC Accredited NGO)
	James Claffey
	NGO of the Congregation of the Mission
	Janet Palafox IBVM and Cynthia Mathew CJ
	NGO Representative to the United Nations
	Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary NGO Office

 

 

 

 

*International CURE is a global prison reform organization and has received consultative status from the United Nations for the past twenty years. The organization has sponsored international conferences on human rights and prison reform in the following countries: United States, Switzerland, Nigeria, Rwanda, Costa Rica, and Thailand. For more information see www.internationalcure.org