1. 1.1 INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE SEANF PROJECT ON GOOD PRACTICES IN PROMOTING AND PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES The South East Asia National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF) 1 consists of the Indonesian Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (KomnasHAM), Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC), Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP), National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT), and Timor Leste Provedor for Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ). During the SEANF’s Technical Working Group Meeting on 23-24 February 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand, SEANF Members collectively agreed to embark on a project entitled ‘Good Practices in Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’. SUHAKAM was elected as the coordinator of this Project. The Project aims to share experiences among SEANF Members on their respective Country’s relevant laws, policies and programmes which have contributed to the enhancement of the protection and advancement of the IP’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. From the contributions of each SEANF Member to the project, it is aspired that adaptable foreign good practices could be advocated by each SEANF Member at their national level, towards improving further the well-being of the IP in their Country. In undertaking this Project, each SEANF Member would draft a paper that highlights some of the good practices that have been undertaken by the various institutions and organisations in each of the Member Institution’s Country for the purpose of promoting and protecting the rights of IP. Each paper would be distributed to all SEANF Member The SEANF was formed after a Declaration of Cooperation for the protection and promotion of human rights in South East Asia was signed by KomnasHAM, SUHAKAM, CHRP, and NHRCT, in Bali, Indonesia on 25-28 June 2007. The PDHJ and MNHRC were admitted as members to the SEANF on 15 November 2010 and 12 September 2012. South East Asia National Human Rights Institutions Forum (SEANF), ‘About Us South East Asia NHRI Forum’ (SEANF) <http://www.seanf.asia/index.php/about-us> 1 3