PHNOM PENH ST ATEMENT STA ON THE ADOPTION OF THE TION (AHRD) DECLARATION ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARA WE WE, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on the occasion of the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; REAFFIRMING ASEAN’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as the purposes and the principles as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, including the principles of democracy, rule of law and good governance; REITERA TING ASEAN and its Member States’ commitment to the REITERATING Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and other international human rights instruments to which ASEAN Member States are parties as well as to relevant ASEAN declarations pertaining to human rights; ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of the role of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), as the overarching institution responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN, that contributes towards the building of a people-oriented ASEAN Community and as a vehicle for progressive social development and justice, the full realization of human dignity and the attainment of a higher quality of life for ASEAN peoples; COMMENDING AICHR for developing a comprehensive declaration on human rights, in consultation with ASEAN Sectoral Bodies and other relevant stakeholders; PHNOM PENH STATEMENT ON THE ADOPTION OF THE ASEAN HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION 13