Governance & Human Rights

OVERVIEW

This was the inaugural lecture of the ASEF's Democratisation And Justice Series; the lecture topic was timely because it coincided with the drafting of the ASEAN Charter.

Speaker Kevin Boyle discussed the link between human rights protection and other goals of international co-operation, including development, security, the environment, and democracy. He also suggested that future policies for human betterment and even survival must reflect the complexity of the challenges that face a globalised and increasingly unequal world.

A follow-up discussion highlighted the inter-relatedness of freedom of expression with other rights. The lecture was attended by 30 participants from the academe, officials from the ASEM embassies, as well as think tanks and research institute representatives.

SPEAKER

Prof. Kevin Boyle, Head of the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, UK

DISCUSSANT

Dr. Cherian George, Deputy Head, Journalism Programme, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore