88 PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS • Promoting capacity-building and providing advisory services and technical assistance; • Preparing thematic studies; • Obtaining information from ASEAN member States on the promotion and protection of human rights. The Commission meets for at least 10 days annually and submits an annual report to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting. The Commission does not have the mandate to investigate cases of human rights abuses; however, NGOs prepared reports on human rights violations and made public statements at the time of its first session. Minority advocates should be able to contact its members (who are Government representatives, not independent experts) either through their national foreign ministries or the ASEAN Secretariat, as follows: The ASEAN Secretariat 70A Jl. Sisingamangaraja Jakarta 12110 Indonesia Tel: 62 21 726 29 91; 62 21 724 33 72 Fax: 62 21 739 82 34; 62 21 724 35 04 Website: www.asean.org South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) aims to promote economic growth and development in the South Asian region. The SAARC Charter does not mention human rights. A number of SAARC treaties address human rights-related issues, however, and SAARC adopted a Social Charter in 2004.98 Among the principles, goals and objectives of the Social Charter are to “ensure tolerance, nonviolence, pluralism and non-discrimination in respect of diversity within and among societies” (art. 2 (2)(vii)); “ensure that disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable persons and groups are included in social development” (art. 2 (2)(xi)); and “promote universal respect for and observance and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all” (art. 2 (2)(xii)). The Social Charter does not create any body with the responsibility to monitor its provisions. Arab Charter on Human Rights The revised text of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, adopted in 2004 under the auspices of the League of Arab States, came into force in March 2008 following its ratification by Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, the Palestinian Authority, the Syrian Arab Republic and the United Arab Emirates. Yemen, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also since ratified it. The Charter binds each State party to ensure to all individuals subject to its jurisdiction the right to enjoy the Charter rights “without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religious belief, opinion, thought, national or social origin, wealth, birth or physical or mental disability” (art. 3 (1)). Article 25 (reflecting article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) provides that “Persons belonging to minorities shall not be denied the right to enjoy their own culture, to use their own language and to [practise] their own religion. The exercise of these rights shall be governed by law”. While the Charter does not define minorities, article 43 states, “Nothing in this Charter may be construed or interpreted as impairing the rights and freedoms ... set [forth] in the international and regional human rights instruments which the States parties  Available from www.saarc-sec.org/areaofcooperation/detail.php?activity_id=7 (accessed 3 December 2012). 98