Programme

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Hybrid Roundtable discussion #25559

The Role of ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms in Institutionalizing Human Rights in the Digital Space: Towards Accountability and Collective Advocacy
Date August 26, 2025 (Tuesday)
Time 11:30am–12:50pm (1h20m)
Kuala Lumpur time / UTC+8
Venue Rooms 2.11 & 2.12, Second Floor, AICB Centre for Excellence
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This roundtable aims to strengthen civil society engagement with ASEAN human rights institutions, particularly the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), and the Southeast Asia National Human Rights Institution Forum (SEANF) to ensure these bodies are more responsive to the human rights challenges emerging online.

Drawing on the experiences of digital rights groups, human rights defenders, and policy advocates, the session will:

  • Examine how AICHR, ACWC, and SEANF can better safeguard human rights online;
  • Identify concrete pathways for institutionalizing monitoring and accountability mechanisms related to human rights in the digital space;
  • Explore opportunities to embed human rights protections in the digital sphere into broader ASEAN frameworks, such as the ASEAN Digital Blueprint and the AICHR Five-Year Work Plan (2026–2030); and
  • Build momentum for long-term collaboration among civil society actors and between civil society and regional human rights institutions through the exchange of national and regional advocacy strategies, lessons learned, and the joint development of legal and policy recommendations.
Presenters
  1. Edmund Bon
    AICHR Rep. Malaysia
  2. Damar Hanung
    FORUM-ASIA
  3. Rachel Arini
    Wikimedia Foundation
  4. Debora Christine
    Koalisi Damai
Host Koalisi Damai, ICJ, OXFAM, FORUM-ASIA & Wikimedia Foundation
The session is co-organized by the Koalisi Demokratisasi dan Moderasi Ruang Digital Indonesia (Koalisi Damai), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Oxfam International, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), and the Wikimedia Foundation. Together, these organizations advocate for human rights-based digital governance in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on content moderation, freedom of expression, open access to knowledge, and State accountability in the face of digital threats. The coalition also works to monitor State responses to the impact of digital technologies on human rights and to propose necessary reforms by leveraging domestic, regional, and international mechanisms. Representatives from AICHR and ACWC (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand), as well as SUHAKAM in its capacity as a SEANF member, are invited to participate in the session.