APF 6 Aims to Raise Rights of Women, Ethnic Groups

The rights of women, children and ethnic groups are among top agenda of the sixth ASEAN People’s Forum (APF6) hosted by Vietnam on Sept 24-26 with the participation of over 700 delegates. The forum proposed lots of measures to ensure and raise further the rights of these above-mentioned people, including the proposal of treasuring ethnic people’s status in governments’ policy-making. During the three-day event, the delegates also touched upon other issues relating to refuge, climate change, water sources, poverty reduction and democracy. For the first time, AO/dioxin-related issues were shared at the APF6 and made into a content of the joint statement released at the closing ceremony on Sept 26. At the closing ceremony, Vietnam officially handed over the chairmanship of the 7th APF to Indonesia. The APF is hosted annually by the ASEAN’s rotating chairman, gathering non-governmental and civil society organizations. (Lao Dong- Labor Sept 27, ww.vietnamplus.vn Sept 26)