AICHR Workshop affirms the importance of promoting and protecting human rights at sea
WVR - On June 26 in Hanoi, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) held a workshop themed “Raising Awareness and Sharing Best Practices on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights at Sea”.
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| The workshop “Raising Awareness and Sharing Best Practices on Promoting and Protecting Human Rights at Sea”. (Photo: Chu Van) |
The workshop was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with New Zealand and attended by numerous delegates from member countries and the ASEAN Secretariat, the New Zealand Ambassador to ASEAN, national representatives at AICHR, regional and international organizations, as well as research and training institutions.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh, Vietnam's Representative at AICHR, emphasised the importance of seafarers' rights. This large workforce plays a crucial role in economic development, maritime cooperation, and the welfare of coastal communities, yet the seafaring profession is facing increasing risks and challenges.
In this context, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh urged the workshop participants to focus on clarifying the difficulties and challenges faced by seafarers; assessing the international and regional legal frameworks and regulations related to seafarers' rights; sharing good cooperation practices in the region; and based on this, proposing recommendations to further enhance ASEAN cooperation in this field, thereby making a practical contribution to the goal of building an ASEAN Community with people at its center.
During the workshop discussions, delegates highly appreciated Vietnam's initiative to organize the workshop on seafarers' rights, emphasizing that this is a very timely and practical topic. Delegates highlighted that Southeast Asia is home to many vital shipping routes, a large seafood catch, and a significant number of seafarers, including both fishermen and crew members.
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| Delegates at the workshop take a commemorative photo. (Photo: Chu Van) |
On the other hand, delegates also acknowledged that seafarers in the region and worldwide are facing increasing risks and challenges, including harsh working conditions, the risk of exploitation and abuse, complex weather patterns, and the consequences of conflict and geopolitical competition. Additionally, this is an interdisciplinary and cross-border issue, requiring cooperation and coordination among many countries, international, and regional agencies.
Reviewing the frameworks and mechanisms regarding seafarers' rights, delegates noted that the international and regional communities have made significant efforts to enhance regulations to improve working conditions and protect seafarers' rights; however, the frameworks and mechanisms remain relatively “fragmented” and there are still “gaps”.
Accordingly, delegates exchanged and agreed on several important recommendations related to raising awareness about seafarers' rights, disseminating and sharing experiences in applying relevant legal regulations and standards, enhancing cooperation among countries, and strengthening the role of regional cooperation mechanisms and frameworks to effectively protect seafarers' rights…
The AICHR workshop on “Raising Awareness and Sharing Best Practices on Promoting and Protecting Human Rights at Sea” is an initiative by Vietnam and has been included in the Commission's work program. It is expected that the results and recommendations of the workshop will be compiled into AICHR's activity report to be presented to ASEAN Foreign Ministers, as well as shared with relevant agencies for further study and implementation in the future.
