Page 47 - The Ethics of ASEAN

Building ASEAN’s Ethical Dialogue

as a CSO providing resources for dialogue and recommendations
in establishing positions, policies and guidelines having an ethical
content aligned to the scope of the Secretariat. Examples are the
need for ethical guidelines in managing new issues arising from the
Covid-19 pandemic, or discussing what is acceptable in tracking
citizens using certain applications of artificial intelligence.

We then reached out to the other ASEAN organisations making up a veritable ecosystem of
ethics stakeholders in ASEAN. These were:
• ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR): AICHR
was inaugurated in 2009 and participated in the promulgation of the ASEAN
Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) adopted in 2012. The purpose of AICHR is to
be ASEAN’s overarching institution responsible for the promotion and protection
of human rights in ASEAN. AICHR national representatives are nominated by
their respective Governments and decision-making is based on consultation and
consensus. Keo Remy, president of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee
(CHRC) is chairman of AICHR from 2022-2024.

• Human Development Directorate: in the ASEAN Secretariat, a directorate of the
ASEAN Socio-Economic Community is responsible for a wide range of ethical
issues including health, labour, poverty, civil service, poverty eradication and
gender equality. Rodora Turalde-Babaran is the current Director.
• ASEAN Foundation: created by ASEAN leaders in 1997, the Foundation promotes
awareness and identity of ASEAN and supports the interaction and development
of people across ASEAN. Dr Yang Mee Eng is currently the Executive Director.
• ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC): established in 2001 by ASEAN
heads of state, this organisation identifies ethics areas for the consideration of
ASEAN leaders on cooperation, integration, business ethics and governance. The
Executive Director is Gil Gonzales.
• ASEAN CSR Network (ACN): established in 2010 and accredited as an ASEAN
entity in 2016, the ACN mission is to promote and enable responsible business
conduct in ASEAN including sustainability, equity, social inclusion, equality and
development. Its Chief Executive Officer is Thomas Thomas.
• ASEAN Youth Organisation (AYO): established in 2013 and accredited as an
ASEAN Entity in 2018, the AYO promotes international understanding and
goodwill among ASEAN Youth with 200 team members and 16 chapters and
networks. Senjaya Mulia is the founder of AYO.
Many of representatives from these organisations will appear in the dialogues later in this
book.

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