15 June 2011

H.E. Amb. I Gede Ngurah Swajaya Chair, ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives

H.E. Dr Surin Pitsuwan Secretary-General of ASEAN

H.E. Bagas Hapsoro Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs

H.E. Dato' Misran Karmain Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community

Your Excellencies:

Greetings from the Solidarity for Asian Peoples' Advocacies (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN and the SAPA Task Force on ASEAN Freedom of Information (TF on ASEAN FOI).

SAPA is an open platform of national and regional civil society organizations that come together for joint strategizing towards engaging inter-governmental organizations such as the ASEAN. The Working Group on ASEAN is a collaboration among various NGOs, peoples' movements, coalitions and campaign organizations that seek to engage ASEAN issues and processes. It has played an active role in the ASEAN Civil Society Conference, and works on specific advocacies on human rights, migrants’ rights, economic development and social justice, and democratization, among others. One of its Task Forces is the TF on ASEAN FOI, an initiative to push for the recognition of the public’s right to know and access to information in ASEAN.

SAPA takes its cue from the ASEAN Charter, which enshrines the aspiration of building a “People-Oriented ASEAN”. Article 1.13 of the Charter stipulates that one of the purposes of ASEAN is to “promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are encouraged to participate in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and community building.” Article 12 (d) gives the ASEAN National Secretariats and Directorates General the task of “contributing to ASEAN community building” with various sectors and entities.

It is in this spirit that SAPA is keen on continuing to meaningfully engage the ASEAN and to enhance the engagement process. SAPA and its Task Forces are looking at multi-level engagement processes with the ASEAN. Article 16 (2) of the ASEAN Charter mandates the Committee of Permanent Representatives to prescribe the rules of procedure and criteria for engagement with “entities associated with ASEAN”. We would like to request for an update on this mandate. While there are existing Guidelines on ASEAN Relations with Civil Society Organizations, dated 6th April 2006, published on the website of the ASEAN Secretariat, we would also like to request for a copy of the ASEAN's latest revised Guidelines for Civil Society Accreditation, ASEAN's Guidelines for Engagement with Civil Society Organizations, or any working draft thereof, for our information and future action. Having access to and being able to contribute to such important documents will help ensure inclusive and representative engagement and participation of diverse and multiple sectors of society in Southeast Asia.

We look forward to your prompt and favorable response.

Thank you very much.

Respectfully yours,

Consuelo Katrina A. Lopa and Yap Swee Seng Jenina Joy Chavez

For the SAPA Working Group on ASEAN: For the SAPA Task Force on ASEAN FOI: 1. Burma Partnership 2. SAPA Task force on ASEAN and Burma 1. Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) 3. Agribusiness Action Initiatives 2. Institute for Freedom of Information (i- 4. Focus on the Global South (Regional) FOI) 5. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM- 3. Focus on the Global South ASIA) 4. Forum Asia 6. South East Asian Committee for Advocacy (SEACA) 5. South East Asian Committee for Advocacy 7. Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA) (SEACA) 8. Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) 6. Bantay Kita (Philippines) 9. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN) 7. Foundation for Media Alternatives 10. International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development 8. People’s Empowerment Foundation (INFID) Thailand 11. ODA Watch 9. Institute for Essential Services Reform 12. Think Centre (IESR) 13. SAPA Task Force on ASEAN and Migrant Workers 14. Human Rights Education Institute of Burma 15. Union Network International Asia Pacific Regional Organization (UNI Apro)

Page 2 of 3 16. Coordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility (CARAM) Asia 17. Human Rights Working Group () 18. Southeast Asia Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers 19. Task Force Detainees of the Philippines 20. SAPA Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights

Other Endorsers

Cambodia Philippines 1. SILAKA 32. Action for Economic Reforms 2. Positive Change for 33. Stop the War Coalition 3. Cambodia Housing Rights Task Force 34. Libertas 4. NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child 35. Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau, Inc. 5. Cambodia Housing Rights Task Force 36. Rural Urban Peoples Linkages 6. Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) 37. Philippine Network on EU-ASEAN FTA 7. The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) 38. MARUAH (Working Group for ASEAN Human Indonesia Rights Mechanism) 8. Publish What You Pay 9. Yayasan Semai Jiwa Amini (SEJIWA) Thailand 10. Imparsial 39. ASEAN Watch 11. The Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the 40. NGO Coordinating Committee on Development Archipelago (AMAN-MALUKU) – Moluccas 41. Thai Committee for Refugee Foundation 12. The Children's Human Rights Foundation (YPHA) 42. People’s Empowerment Foundation Thailand 13. KePPaK PEREMPUAN 43. FTA Watch Thailand 14. Women’s Institute, Bandung 15. Demos Regional/International (based in ASEAN) 16. KRuHA (People's Coalition for the Right to Water) 44. INHURED International 17. Pergerakan Indonesia 45. Center on Housing Rights and Evictions 18. Solidaritas Perempuan (Women's Solidarity for (COHRE) Human Rights) 46. Disabled Peoples International - Asia Pacific 19. Sahabat Perempuan dan Anak Indonesia (Sapa (DPI-AP) Indonesia) 47. Dignity International 20. Jaringan Tambang (JATAM) 48. International Women's Rights Action Watch 21. Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) (IWRAW) Asia Pacific 22. Aliansi Nasional Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (ANBTI) 49. Southeast Asia Women’s Caucus on ASEAN 23. Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) 50. Asia Pacific Resource and Research Center for Women (ARROW) Lao PDR 51. Homenet Southeast Asia 24. Gender and Development Group (GDG) 52. Committee for Asian Women (CAW) 53. Asian Partnership for the Development of Malaysia Human Resources in Rural Asia (AsiaDHRRA) 25. Southeast Asia Popular Communications 54. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Programme 26. Pusat Komas Others 27. Community Residents’ Association 55. Center for Human Rights and Development 28. Women’s Aid Organisation (Mongolia) 29. Women’s Caucus Malaysia 56. International Federation for Human Rights 30. Era Consumer Malaysia (FIDH) 31. Monitoring Sustainability of Globalization (MSN) 57. East Timor NGO Forum (FONGTIL, Timor Leste)

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