Assistant to the Permanent Secretary Participates in Parallel Activities at the Third EU-ASEAN Forum on Human Rights

Assistant to the Permanent Secretary of Labour Mrs. Phattana Phanfak participated in parallel activities of the third EU-ASEAN Forum on Human Rights, which took place on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 in Brussels, Belgium. She represented the Chair of the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW). Key activities included: 1. Consultations between the EU-ASEAN and the people sector, with the essence of exchanging operational procedures to promote human rights and submitting recommendations from the people sector to the EU-ASEAN to develop operations on issues related to the elimination of violence and discrimination against LGBTI and foreign workers. IT also included promoting the role of the education sector in supporting schools that are safe and free from violence, promoting transparency in human rights operations and increasing the people sector’s participation. 2. Meeting with the European Working Group on Human Rights, which essence of exchanging the development of human rights operations between the European Union and ASEAN, as well as seeking cooperation in the future to drive human rights operations. 3. A study visit of non-profit organizations regarding trafficking victims; an opportunity to exchange good practices including ways to promote cooperation among relevant sectors in the process of prevention, protection, and referral of human trafficking victims. 4. Forum on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment for Sustainable Development. The essence consisted of a discussion on the cooperation between the EU-ASEAN in promoting the rights of women, by linking development dimensions and strengthening, and eliminating violence as an important mechanism for sustainable development
          On this occasion, Mrs. Pattana also had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Eamon Gilmore, special representative of the European Union on Human Rights and the European Commission on Human Rights. The two parties discussed ways to promote and strengthen cooperation between the EU and ACMW.