CHAPTER 5 - REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISSUES AND COOPERATION COMMITTEE On 25 September, the Commission received a delegation from the Vietnamese Institute of Human Rights (VIHR), an academic institution established in 1994 under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration. Its functions are to undertake research and education and provide advice on issues of human rights to the Party and the Government of Vietnam. At the time of the visit, the VIHR was carrying out research on experiences, structures and operations of NHRIs as well as national mechanisms for human rights protection in the region. The goal was to provide theoretical and practical foundations for the Party and Government of Vietnam in considering the possibility of establishing a NHRI, in response to the ASEAN Charter towards realisation of the human rights of all individuals. The VIHR study-visit to the Commission and other institutions was to obtain information on experiences in the field of human rights. As the Chair of SEANF, the Commission hosted the 7th Annual Meeting of SEANF from 15-16 November in Kuala Lumpur. SEANF admitted a new member, the Office of the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice of Timor Leste. The admission of a fifth member to SEANF will reinforce its role and relevance in upholding human rights in Southeast Asia. The meeting also identified new priorities for SEANF, including its role to support regional and international human rights mechanisms, as well as the drafting of a Five-Year Strategic Plan which will serve as a road map for SEANF. The Commission handed over the Chairmanship of SEANF to CHRP at the conclusion of that meeting. The 7th Annual Meeting of SEANF held from 15-16 November in Kuala Lumpur 90