The Association of South-East Asian Nations adopted a declaration of human rights Sunday despite concerns that it would fall short of international standards. Leaders from the 10-member bloc signed the declaration on the first day of the 21st ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh.
"This certainly can be used to monitor the practice, the protection, the promotion of human rights here in the ASEAN countries," secretary general Surin Pitsuwan said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said: "It's an important benchmark for ASEAN to be kept honest in terms of its human rights obligations." Last week, 62 activist groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, said the draft had failed to meet existing international standards.
They criticised provisions that indicated rights could be subject to limitations on national security and public morality grounds, which remained in the final text.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, had earlier urged ASEAN to take more time to develop the declaration.
On Saturday, Natalegawa said an additional "safety net" had been inserted, ensuring the implementation be in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action on human rights. The bloc comprises Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei.