Annual Report 2011–2012 During the consultations, participants highlighted the diversity of peoples, cultures, ethnicities, languages, socioeconomic development and government systems of the Pacific. They also noted that any future regional mechanism should be unique to the Pacific; be based on Pacific values; promote and protect Pacific cultures; and reflect common aspirations for the region. In addition, there was strong acknowledgment of the positive contribution made by civil society organisations to human rights processes at all levels and the need for them to be involved in ongoing discussions about the establishment of national and regional human rights mechanisms. Pacific partnerships The APF, OHCHR and PIFS are developing a new agreement to strengthen their partnership in promoting the establishment of NHRIs in the region. In a meeting on 15 February 2012, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General and the APF Director welcomed the success of the APF-PIFS collaboration, which has grown substantially since the appointment of PIFS’ inaugural Human Rights Advisor in 2010. The new agreement will build on a 2009 memorandum of understanding between the APF and PIFS, and the APF’s partnership agreement with OHCHR. The agreement will ensure the sustainability of the work in the region and will highlight the particular areas of expertise that each organisation brings to the partnership. The APF, OHCHR and PIFS are currently working with the Governments of Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to set up NHRIs in their countries. OHCHR and PIFS also work in partnership with Pacific Governments and civil society to promote treaty ratification and to support their contributions to the work of the UN’s human rights mechanisms, including the human rights treaty bodies, the special procedures and the UPR mechanism. ASEAN The APF continued to hold discussions with representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR) and its related mechanisms on migrant workers and women. Principally, the APF invited the Chairperson of AICHR to attend and present at the APF’s 16th Annual Meeting and Biennial Conference held in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2011. The Chairperson outlined AICHR’s areas of operation and key goals, including the development of an ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights and its working procedures. APF member institutions continued to advocate for the ASEAN Declaration to uphold, and not undercut, minimum international human rights standards and for the role and allocation of formal participation rights for ‘A’ status NHRIs in the working procedures of AICHR. The APF subsequently met again with the Chairperson of AICHR during the margins of the 11th Informal Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar on Human Rights. ASEM is an informal process of dialogue and cooperation bringing together the 27 European Union Member States and the European Commission with 19 Asian countries and the ASEAN Secretariat. The 11th Informal ASEM Seminar was specifically on the topic of ‘National and Regional Human Rights Mechanisms’ and this entailed a focus on the role of NHRIs and AICHR. The Director of the APF was selected by ASEM to be the main Asian Rapporteur to co-write the associated background paper for the Seminar and its final report. Asian civil society partnerships ANNI meets each year to exchange updates on pressing human rights issues, as well as developments in relation to the NHRIs in their respective countries. ANNI held its 5th Regional Consultation in Manila, Philippines, from 23–24 April 2012, drawing together 30 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Timor-Leste. The APF secretariat and a number of individual NHRIs were invited to attend the meeting. 4. Engage with regional and international human rights mechanisms | 47