Asia Centre, with support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (Thailand) and Taiwan Foundation for Democracy held a consultation session with the Office of National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT) (Southern Region) to explore collaboration on human rights issues in the southern region during a visit to Songkhla province between 25 – 26 October 2022.
The consultation was held on 26 October 2022 at the NHRCT regional office in Songkhla. The NHRCT began with welcome remarks and background to the office’s establishment in March 2022. Its main mandates cover administration, the protection as well as the promotion and monitoring of human rights situations. Next, Asia Centre explained its role as a civil society research institute in special consultative status with the UN ECOSOC. The Centre also introduced its regional and local partners including Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and several academic institutions.
In outlining ideas, Dr. James Gomez, the Centre’ Regional Director, suggested the NHRCT regional office and Asia Centre can collaborate in promoting human rights in the southern region in forms of research and activities such as seminar, training or roundtable discussion. He particularly underlined the importance of undertaking an assessment and mapping of key issues and actors in the region to identify the existing gaps. Such a mapping can be developed into a strategic plan to implement improvements to the human rights situation.
Krisada Ngamsinchamrat, Director of NHRCT regional office, reacted positively to the different ideas. As a first step, he suggested that the NHRCT Southern Office and Asia Centre proceed on MOU for general cooperation within the first quarter of next year. Thereafter consider signing partnership agreements for the specific project collaborations.
The meeting ended with both organisations agreeing to exchange their working plans, projects and activities to find opportunities to participate in each others’ activities.
After that, the consultation event was promoted on the Facebook page of the NHRCT, please see the link.
