The National Human Rights Commission, Taiwan (NHRC) convened a high-level dialogue with the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) on May 16 and 17, 2022, to discuss the operations and development experience of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) in the Asia Pacific. The APF Senior Envoy & Expert NHRI Consultant, Rosslyn Noonan, who was in Taiwan for the international review for the ICCPR and ICESCR, joined the meeting in person. The three main topics, “Objectives & Priorities of NHRIs,” “International Human Rights System and NHRI engagement,” and “Engaging with stakeholders as an independent NHRI with government, parliament, and the community”, were discussed during the conference.
NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu, Vice Chairperson Jao Yung-ching, Commissioners Upay Radiw Kanasaw, Wang Yu-ling, Tien Chiu-chin, Kao Yung-cheng, Fan Sun-lu, Chi Hui-jung, and Yeh Ta-hua, Executive Secretary Su Jui-hui, and Deputy Executive Secretary Chen Hsien-cheng met with APF Director Kieren Fitzpatrick, Principal Adviser Pip Dargan, Karen S. Gomez-Dumpit (Former Commissioner, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights), and Chan-un Park (Standing Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission of Korea) during the hybrid conference, and share the experiences of NHRIs in Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and South Korea.
NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu said that human rights were still in their infancy in Taiwan, and it took two decades before the NHRC was finally established. The pursuit of human rights must balance idealism with reality to reach a compromise between the different voices in society. The NHRC must serve as a neutral party and a voice of reason that mediates between the government and civil society. It must also collaborate with both the public and the government. Chen hopes that the NHRC continues to provide effective supervision over the government’s activities, and engage with civic groups and the public to gradually put human rights into practice. In its pursuit of human rights, the NHRC of Taiwan will also need to use the APF’s experience on the operations and developments of other NHRIs as reference. In return, the APF and NHRIs in the Asia Pacific can better understand the human rights developments in Taiwan.
During the two-day conference, participants exchanged opinions on key human rights topics common concerned by NHRIs in the Asia Pacific, such as anti-discrimination, freedom of speech, abolishing or retention of the death penalty, and human rights education. Commissioner Chan-un Park, Ms. Gomez-Dumpit, and Mr. Fitzpatrick also hoped to continue engaging with Taiwan on human rights topics in the future.
The APF hopes to conduct more dialogues with the NHRC of Taiwan and other NHRIs in the Asia Pacific in the future. To assist NHRIs in the Asia Pacific in compliance with the Paris Principles, the APF provides information or advice on the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) certification process. NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu thanked the APF for its assistance to the NHRC in the past. Chen believed that the high-level dialogue would help promote greater cooperation and exchange between NHRIs of Taiwan and the rest of the Asia Pacific, and look forward to meeting with the APF in person once the COVID-19 pandemic situation eases.