DILI, 03 april 2024 (TATOLI) – The Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice of Timor-Leste (PDHJ) on wednesday hosted the first Technical Working Group Meeting of the Southeast Asian National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF) in Dili, with the theme: “Human Rights for all and especially in Southeast Asia are respected, protected and enjoyed equally by all.”
The forum was attended by the SEANF’s members, including, the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR), the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP), the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) and the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) who attended via virtual meeting.
The forum aims to promote regional and international dialogue on the protection and promotion of human rights.
In his opening speech, Virgílio da Silva Guterres, Timor-Leste’s Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice, said that the forum strengthened SEANF members’ collaboration and cooperation to protect and promote human rights in the region.
“As members of SEANF, we have established collaboration and cooperation to address issues related to human rights violations in the region,” said Guterres.
Guterres also emphasized the importance of collaboration between SEANF members to combat illegal border crossings in the region, including human traffic.
A number of topics were presented at the meeting by each SEANF member, including protecting human rights during COVID-19, protecting and promoting human rights in business, preventing torture and other cruel and so on.
Journalist: Jose Belarmino de Sa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
