Beware of ASEAN rights diplomacy

UPA Asia.com
By Awzar Thi
Column: Rule of Lords, Published: October 29, 2009

Hong Kong, China — Last Friday, 10 civil society representatives learned the hard way what a new Asian regional human rights initiative is really all about.

The 10 had expected to meet leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, one representing each country in the grouping, for a chat prior to the launch of the Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

But the night before, officials from the Foreign Ministry of Thailand – where the event was being held – said that only five would be allowed through the door. When the five arrived at the venue, officials told them that they could not open their mouths.

Welcome to human rights dialogue, ASEAN style.

In a statement, the spurned activists said that the move was “a rejection of both civil society and the democratic process” that “sabotages the credibility” of the new commission. Media reports cited other groups as “bashing” and “deriding” the body.

All this seems to be much ado about nothing.

It was obvious from the start that the purpose of the new ASEAN body is not to protect human rights. Its purpose is the exact opposite.

ASEAN has created the Intergovernmental Commission so that member governments and their own ineffectual rights institutions can push complaints of abuses outside their borders. There they can be professionally watered down and run through various “channels” and “mechanisms” until the original point is forgotten and frustrated complainants give up.

Although the commission is not intended to promote rights, it is aiming to promote members’ campaigns for seats on prestigious international bodies, like the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Thailand has already announced that it will bid for the peak U.N. rights body next year. Its current ambassador to the council was government spokesman when former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration was enabling the murder of thousands of alleged drug dealers in 2003.

In his new improved role as ASEAN human rights defender, the ambassador has been working on the intergovernmental body, perhaps with the expectancy of a better seat at the big hall in Geneva.

That these governments are working hard on their human rights diplomacy for reasons other than human rights is unsurprising. That civil society groups have been suckered into the diplomacy agenda is unfortunate.

Not only has it proven to be a complete waste of time and money, but also it is damaging to the defense of human rights in Asia.

Human rights diplomacy causes groups to lose touch with the real work of human rights advocacy. Diplomacy obliges negotiation and compromise. It is the stuff of closed doors and secret handshakes. By contrast, advocacy means standing firm on principles. It is necessarily public and open.

Rights diplomats fear to speak out because they might step on officials’ toes or risk their status with fellow diplomats. They sacrifice their ability to communicate on critically important issues on the streets in order to keep their cherished places at the table.

This is why, for instance, some groups have failed to speak out against the use of the lèse majesté law to silence and imprison people in Thailand, when in principle they ought to have not even hesitated.

Rights diplomats may flatter themselves into thinking that they can make progress through quiet negotiating, as if they were concluding a trade agreement or making an arms deal, but the fact is that this method is inimical to the real work of defending human rights.

This is because the single most important purpose of human rights advocacy is to break open silences and challenge taboos that allow abuses to continue. The work of human rights is to end the censorship of debate on problems that cause violations to persist.

Censorship can only be broken through advocacy. Human rights diplomacy, by contrast, not only reinforces censorship but also forces its participants to engage in self-censorship.

Persons who engage in self-censorship on the pretence of dialogue should expect little sympathy later when they find that they have been made victims of their own attempts at diplomacy, and then cry out that they have been unfairly treated.

But hopefully they will have learned an important lesson, that human rights diplomacy and human rights advocacy are incompatible. Anyone opting to engage in the former can only do so at the cost of giving up on the latter. And to give up on the latter ultimately means to give up on human rights.

--

(Awzar Thi is the pen name of a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission with over 15 years of experience as an advocate of human rights and the rule of law in Thailand and Burma. His Rule of Lords blog can be read at http://ratchasima.net)

Jordan Issues First Progress Report on Labor Reform

Report Documents Steps Taken to Attain World-Class Labor Standards
Reuters, Wed Oct 28, 2009 4:39pm EDT

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
Jordan`s Minister of Labor, Dr. Gazi Shbaikat, presented today a new
comprehensive Progress Report on Jordan's strategic plan for labor compliance at
a briefing in the U.S. Congress hosted by the Democratic Leadership Council and
the Embassy of Jordan. The First Progress Report on Labor Administration and
Compliance in Jordan highlights the diligent efforts that the Government of
Jordan has made towards meeting its international obligations, including those
under the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement, and outlines the Government`s
tremendous progress in labor reform since its 2008 report.

(http://www.jordanembassyus.org/new/aboutjordan/jordanpdf/LaborReport_Oct2009.pdf)


"We hope this progress report will shed light into the steps Jordan has taken to
reform labor administration reform and to strengthen labor compliance," said
Minister Shbaikat. "We are fully committed to build on these steps to further
improve labor conditions in Jordan, despite the challenges ahead. It is a
win-win situation for all; the Government, the workers, the employers and
investors alike."

The Government`s FirstProgress Report details the various initiatives undertaken
by Jordan since the government`s 2008 report on labor administration and
compliance, which outlines the tripartite strategy Jordan has put in place that
includes: improving working conditions through enforcement and compliance
assistance, enhancing institutional capacity and increasing employment
opportunities. The First Progress report presented today provides updates on
reforms of the labor inspectorate, amendments to the 1996 Labor Code to provide
protections to guest workers, enactment of a new anti-trafficking law,
implementation of the Better Work Jordan Project (BWJ), and revisions of the
monitoring and compliance mechanisms used by the Ministry of Labor.

In his remarks today, Minister Shbaikat highlighted progress made in
implementing the Better Work Jordan Project (BWJ), which the Ministry of Labor
has undertaken in coordination with the International Labor Organization (ILO)
and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The BWJ combines independent
factory monitoring assessments with training and remediation to improve working
conditions and enhance the global competitiveness of participating factories.
"As the first country to undertake the BWJ after Cambodia, Jordan`s
implementation of the BWJ is truly representative of its commitment to
transparency and accountability," the Minister said.

The Minister also shared the First Progress Report and stressed Jordan`s
commitment to continuing the labor reform process with U.S. officials at the
U.S. Department of Labor and State as well as with Members of Congress in both
the House of Representatives and the Senate. In addition, Minister Shbaikat met
with representatives of the U.S. apparel companies and trade associations in New
York and Washington, DC to further emphasize the Ministry`s progress in
attaining global labor standards during the last three years and underline
Jordan`s political will and commitment to continue the labor reform process.

During his meetings with U.S. administration and congressional officials,
Minister Shbaikat expressed the government`s gratitude for U.S. assistance in
providing technical and financial support to enhance institutional capacity at
the Ministry of Labor and to launch projects aimed at increasing employment
opportunities for Jordanians. He said, "We are grateful to our friends and
partners in the United States for supporting our reform efforts and for helping
us make Jordan a successful model in labor compliance for others in the region
and beyond."

For More Information Contact Press Attache Merissa Khurma @ 202-265-1606

Embassy of Jordan - Washington, DC
Information Bureau
Merissa Khurma, 202-265-1606
or
Economic and Commerce Bureau
202-362-4436
or
www.jordanembassyus.org



Copyright Business Wire 2009

US funds plan to integrate Asean textile industry

US funds plan to integrate Asean textile industry

Bangkok Post Published: 24/10/2009 at 12:00 AM, Newspaper section: Business

It all started with a book that R.J. Gurley read in December 2008, when he already had a tough job on his hands - to enhance the competitiveness of Asean textile industries.
Mr Gurley, a consultant, was sent to Thailand by a US government aid agency to take on the task.
"When I got here and we took on this role everybody said we've got to integrate to become competitive. But nobody had any idea how to go about it. Nobody had a plan," said Mr Gurley, a director for Asean Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE).

In 2006, the United States pledged to help Asean develop its economy. From the 12 priority sectors, Nathan Associates gave priority to textiles and tourism, which gave birth to a new strategy.

"They looked to the ACE project to come up with a strategy," said Mr Gurley.
Crisis in the 21st Century Garment Industry, written by the American industry expert David Birnbaum, later sparked an idea that became an action plan that Mr Gurley believes will put Asean at the cutting edge of the industry.

The core of the strategy is a fairly simple idea for a goal that seems hard to achieve.
Instead of buyers taking responsibility for more than 80% of garment production, Asean's textile mills will form a partnership that takes care of the whole production line. "Not only will intra-Asean trade increase through the partnership, but we will also see things done at a much faster speed," said Mr Gurley.
Part of the solution, however, is in understanding the problem. The low competitiveness of the Asean garment industry is a result of the quota system, which was implemented by the United States 40 years ago. The system ended four years ago, but both buyers and producers are still struggling with its after-effects.

All the factories did were the easy tasks from cutting until trimming, while buying countries such as the US supplied upstream elements such as fabric.
"This resulted in buyers that know nothing about garments, as they were doing the job of finding fabric for the factories. So buyer countries want to go back to before the quota system," said Mr Gurley.
Meanwhile, the "cut, make and trim" process, which lies in the hands of the garment factory, also faces problems as it represents only 6% of the retail value of the product.
According to Mr Gurley, Asean can no longer compete on labour cost with countries such as Bangladesh, which has a minimum wage of $25 per month, compared with $67 in Laos and $54 in Cambodia.

"To succeed, Asean must move up the value chain and compete on services. The most basic service is sourcing the fabric. But there is still a problem. Cambodia, for instance, has more than 300 garment factories that account for 85% of Cambodia's exports. However, it has no textile mills," he said.
"The garment factories in Cambodia don't know these fabric companies because for the past 40 years they didn't establish a relationship with these textile mills."
Therefore, Mr Gurley set up the Source Asean Full Service Alliance (SAFSA) early this year. "It won't just make you competitive. It will change the way businesses are done in the industry," he said.
The programme is currently in the process of accepting applications from 20 garment factories and 20 textile mills to form a partnership. Together, they will form a vertical supply chain. Cross-border partnership are preferred for the initial 20 applications.

With intra-Asean trade consisting of only 9.6%, or US$3.3 million, of Asean's total textile and apparel trade according to Trademap, ACE aims to resolve the issue of finding a partner and help the figure reach 15% within three years.

There has also been the launch of SourceAsean.com, an electronic market place linking Asean suppliers as well as global buyers, with which 400 to 500 manufacturers in Asean are registered.
"Buyers are looking for speed to market and these kinds of services. In order to get speed to market, Asean's going to have to integrate and act as a virtual borderless economic community," said Mr Gurley.

In order to compete, the ACE is also hoping to see the implementation of an Asean "green lane" in textiles and apparel, which would significantly cut time for delivering products from one country to another.
"We have the 10 governments supporting us and we have the industry supporting us," he said.
The Asean Federation of Textile Industries (Aftex) joined hands with ACE in June last year. So far, all chief delegates of 10 Asean countries have agreed to the project.

Asean governments are being asked for $1 million a year over the next three years to support the SAFSA project.

"No one country can survive alone in this changing world of sourcing. Utilising the strength of each country such as Thailand and Indonesia for the upstream products to turn out products with a short lead time is essential," said Aftex chairman emeritus Phongsak Assakul.

In reality, no one knows whether the $7.9-million project funded by the US Agency for International Development will revolutionise the textile industry or not.

But although some partnerships may not survive - marriages often end in divorce, as Mr Gurley puts it - everyone seems to agree that this strategy, which helps both buyers and suppliers, is a good step in moving the industry forward.

Over 4 square km land near Preah Vihear temple not overlapping land: Cambodian PM

www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-28 17:59:29
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said with strong words that Cambodia and Thailand do not have overlapping land of 4.6 square km near 11th century Khmer Preah Vihear temple.

"That area is Cambodian soil," Hun Sen said at a opening ceremony of the new Tourism Ministry building in Phnom Penh downtown.

"Thailand is using their own map which was drawn unilaterally to take land from Cambodia such as 4.6 km square near Preah Vihear Temple," he said.

Hun Sen had said that Thai "yellow T-shirt" protesters rallied at the area near Preah Vihear temple to demand Cambodian troops and villagers to move out from the land of 4.6 square km near the temple. "They are extremists and have ambitions," he said.

Hun Sen warned that he has told his military commander that if the Thai "yellow T-shirt" protesters forced their way into the area, Cambodian troops could use force.

The Prime Minister also rejected the declaration by Thai leaders that the road Cambodia built to Preah Vihear temple is joint sharing for using. "This road was built on Cambodian soil and it did not have joint share with Thai side. I am so sorry for your comment," he said, adding "you have confused the matter of this street."

However, Hun Sen stressed that even though "we will not avoid to use force, our stance is still to deal with the issues with peaceful way, Cambodia does not need war."

Cambodian and Thai troops have confronted each other since July 15, 2008 at the areas near Khmer Preah Vihear temple after Cambodia registered the temple as the World Heritage Site in July 7, 2008.