The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has identified the need for Southeast Asia to have an environmental rights instrument to strengthen the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD)'s commitment to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The hope for the declaration is to emphasise the importance of environmental rights as part of human rights, aiming to create a framework for their promotion and protection within ASEAN, ensuring sustainable development and the well-being of current and future generations. Stakeholders were here in Malaysia just a couple of weeks ago for meetings and engagement sessions, for the fifth ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group (AER WG) meeting. We speak to Nicholas Mujah Anak Ason, the General Secretary of the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) and the core representative from the Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders (APNED), and also Celine Lim, the Managing Director of Save Rivers, who was at the meetings as an observer, to discuss how indigenous perspectives were taken into consideration, in the drafting process of this regional declaration on environmental rights.

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has identified the need for Southeast Asia to have an environmental rights instrument to strengthen the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD)'s commitment to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The hope for the declaration is to emphasise the importance of environmental rights as part of human rights, aiming to create a framework for their promotion and protection within ASEAN, ensuring sustainable development and the well-being of current and future generations. Stakeholders were here in Malaysia just a couple of weeks ago for meetings and engagement sessions, for the fifth ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group (AER WG) meeting. We speak to Nicholas Mujah Anak Ason, the General Secretary of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://sdsn.org.my/">Sarawak Dayak Iban Association</a> (SADIA) and the core representative from the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://apned.net/">Asia Pacific Network of Environment Defenders</a> (APNED), and also Celine Lim, the Managing Director of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://saverivers.org/">Save Rivers</a>, who was at the meetings as an observer, to discuss how indigenous perspectives were taken into consideration, in the drafting process of this regional declaration on environmental rights.

Climate change, ferocious weather and ‘the haze’ are now part our everyday lives. How are our lifestyles connected to them, and what can we do about it? What does the economy have to do with it? Earth Matters engages with activists and experts to explore our changing relationship with the planet that we only borrow from our children.

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