We are more than 300 participants from countries in the ASEAN region, together with guests and partners from all over the world, who gathered for the 2nd ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC II) organized by the Solidarity for Asian People's Advocacy (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN and its partners, in Cebu City, Philippines on 10-12 December 2006. We come from various community-based organizations, civil society groups, NGOs, social movements, people's organizations and trade unions that work on critical social, political and economic issues in the ASEAN region. Together, we deliberated on the theme "Creating a Caring and Sharing Community - Enhancing People's Participation in Governance and Development".
The ACSC II consolidates our inputs and proposals to the ASEAN processes including the ASEAN Charter process. Equally important, the ACSC II is an expression of our collective aspirations and commitment for the ASEAN region.
REGIONAL TRENDS AND CHALLENGES
Our work and experience in the region that was consolidated during the ACSC II identifies the following key issues that require the immediate attention of ASEAN Members individually as well as ASEAN regionally:
§ Contraction of Democracies and a Volatile Peace. We call on ASEAN to actively enrich and deepen democracy by critically examining its cultural base by extending citizenship within the region and guaranteeing free and honest elections, participatory governance, basic liberties, and a free and plural media. We also challenge the ASEAN principle of non-intervention to address the human rights concerns and conflict prevention mechanisms that prioritize dialogue and cooperation especially in the case of Burma.
§ Human Rights: Violation and Impunity without Redress. We call on ASEAN to put an immediate remedy to the grave human rights situation in the region by creating a regional human rights body, and by promoting communication rights of peoples and communities through ensuring citizens' access to information and upholding freedom of expression.
§ Economic Integration: Negative Impacts of Integration and Neo-liberal Globalization. The ASEAN Members should protect essential public services, and create mechanisms towards cooperation in regional public goods and services. We call on ASEAN to explicitly ratify, fulfill and promote the ILO conventions on core labor standards. ASEAN should adopt a Social Charter enshrining workers' rights, and institutionalizing participation of workers in mandatory social dialogue and consultation.
§ Population Movements: Displacement, Forcible Migration and Migration Insecurity. We call on ASEAN to uphold the principle of equal treatment, and to create an instrument for the protection and promotion of the rights of all migrant workers. We emphasize the need to establish a regional mechanism to protect the healthcare of migrants, and to move away from mandatory towards voluntary health testing. We advocate for the mutual recognition of skills of workers within the ASEAN region.
§ Sustainable Development Concerns and Increasing Health and Environmental Volatility. The diverse natural and ecological resources of the ASEAN region are being threatened that results in environmental insecurity, displacement from places of livelihood and health concerns. We challenge ASEAN to clarify environmental bottom-lines, and identify and protect no-go zones/options in highly sensitive sustainable development areas in the region. ASEAN should do this in consultation with all sectors but with clear preference for the interests of the poor.
§ Prevailing Asian Patriarchies: Gender Inequalities. It is imperative that the level of awareness and understanding of women's issues through consciousness raising and capacity building is increased within ASEAN. We challenge ASEAN to achieve and surpass the universally agreed minimum targets on women's participation in decision making and leadership. The planned Commission on Women and Children should be used as a platform for discussing socio-cultural issues as well as for expressing women's rights and views.
§ Exclusion and Insecurity of Children and Youth. A growing number of children and youth face precarious conditions in ASEAN. We call on ASEAN member states to recognize the youth as a specific majority group that needs special and urgent attention. The ASEAN should invest in youth education and resources, job opportunities and capacity building, and should respect the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and ratify the optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts.
§ ASEAN Economic Community: Limited Vision of Regionalism. The transformation of the region into a single community should go beyond economic integration and must be people-centered, humane and rights-based at all times, and must reinforce environmental sustainability. We call for an alternative regionalism that is anchored on people's participation at all times and that truly represents a community of people of diversity, with different political and economic systems and historical backgrounds. This should be bound by an undivided commitment to the universal principles of human rights, justice, peace, democracy, tolerance, and solidarity.
CIVIL SOCIETY COMMITMENT AND CALL TO ACTION
We, participants of the ACSC II, commit to work together to build a people-centered and people-driven community in the ASEAN region based on the principles of human rights and dignity, human security, a just and lasting peace, participation and social dialogue, social and economic justice, cultural and ecological diversity, environmentally sustainable development, and gender equity.
We resolve to continue to engage with and challenge the ASEAN at all levels, making use of all available spaces and opportunities to defend and advance the rights and interests of the marginalized and excluded people in the region. We further resolve to strengthen our ranks and expand our initiative in solidarity and movement building, challenge ourselves to be more inclusive and participatory, and respond to issues of urgent concern in a timely manner. We commit to build an ASEAN People's Charter that reflects the rights, interests and aspirations of all peoples in the ASEAN region.
We demand that the ASEAN create effective mechanisms for transparency, accountability and people's participation. In particular, we demand for automatic civil society seats in all decision making processes of the ASEAN.
We demand that ASEAN includes automatic review clauses in all its initiatives and agreements internally and with partners outside of the region.
We demand that the ASEAN guarantee the full participation of civil society in the ASEAN Charter drafting process, and that the final draft be subject to national referendum.
We resolve to meet again at the ACSC III in Singapore in 2007 in conjunction with the 13th ASEAN Summit, armed with new challenge, renewed energy and greater determination to advance the kind of regionalism we aspire for.
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