Supporting Southeast Asian Lawyers Promoting Access to Justice

1. South East Asia Public Interest Lawyers SEAPIL An Initiative to Support the role of lawyer in promoting access to justice in Southeast Asia

2. IMPORTANCE Low human rights standard and protection Southeast Asian human rights framework Cross border impact: • Infrastructure, mining, power plant, property, etc. • Migration & human trafficking • Climate change • Minimum adoption of universally recognized human rights instrument • Violations of human rights • Lack of effective remedies • ASEAN Human Rights Instrument: Charter, ASEAN Declaration on Human rights • ASEAN Human Rights Bodies: AICHR, ACMW, ACWC

3. LAWYERS’ ROLE Legal Legal Representation • Defending SEA people’s rights and justice • Seeking remedies trough existing justice channels or other avenues • Creating precedent through Strategic litigation Legal Reform Empowerment • Empowering SEA people to understand, use, and shape the law • Empowering SEA people to advocate their own rights and justice • Proposing legal draft to improve access to justice • Participating in any initiative of law making at national or regional level

4. LAWYERS’ CHALLENGES Lack of opportunity to access quality and continuing legal education Lack of opportunity to exchange knowledge, skills and information on rule of law and access to justice with other public interest advocates in the region Challenging operating environments, including threats to security, liberty and life of the lawyers

5. LAWYERS’ NEEDS Solidarity • Advocacy challenge • Potential threat and risk Capacity Building • Relevant justice issues • SEA human rights mechanism • legal advocacy Cross Border Collaboration • Casework or strategic litigation • Monitoring • Legal analysis and drafting Lawyers Exchange • Experience • Resources

6. SEAPIL OBJECTIVES • To develop an effective network of lawyers in Southeast Asia • To strengthen access to justice, rule of law, and encourage law and judicial reform in Southeast Asia by establishing a platform for lawyers, including cross-border cooperation to exchange and develop knowledge, skills and information • To support one another on national, regional, and international public interest advocacy initiatives, • To advocate for an effective and legally binding ASEAN, national, regional and international human rights instruments and mechanisms that are in compliance with international human rights standards

7. SEAPIL Principles Transparency Democratic process Accountability Non- Non-Partisan discrimination SEAPIL Gender Equality Volunteerism Participation Respect Solidarity Confidentiality

8. SEAPIL Structure Secretariat General Assembly Regional Working Committee National Focal Point Members

9. SEAPIL INITIATIVES • Training for Southeast Asian lawyers on Legal Advocacy & ASEAN human rights mechanism • Participating in civil society effort to improve ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights • Creating and participating in regional or global forum of lawyers: SEAPIL convening, Global Movement Lawyer convening, legal empowerment forum, pro bono conference, etc. • Monitoring the condition of access to justice in Southeast Asia in relation to COVID-19 pandemic • Solidarity on lawyer protection