Page 27 - EU_ASEN Relations: Perspectives From Malaysia

of Malaysian authorities and civil society organisations under different

programmes.

The EU's cooperation in terms of human rights aims to strengthen the role of

Malaysian civil society by promoting human rights and democratic reforms.
The EU promotes various human rights issues in Malaysia whereby its

priorities are promoting the ratification of core human rights conventions; the
promotion of children's, women's, and indigenous peoples' rights; and the

abolishment of the death penalty. In this regard, the EU Commission has

worked closely together with the Malaysian Bar Council and the Malaysian
Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), organising a campaign to abolish

capital punishment. Additionally, the EU has worked together with
SUHAKAM since 2008 to organise an annual human rights seminar in

conjunction with the International Human Rights Day on 9 December.

In December 2013, the EU and Sabah Forestry Department launched a 16

million Ringgit programme on tackling climate change and create sustainable
forest management. Under the Migration EU Expertise II (MIEUX II) facility,

European experts provide training to Malaysian authorities to effectively

manage migration through improved border management practices and
procedures to curb irregular migration with regards to human rights principles.

In addition, the EU has funded projects for the capacity building of local civil

society organisations that work to promote the rights of migrants and asylum-
seekers. An example is the Humana Learning Centres in Sabah, run by the

Humana Child Aid Society, and aims to provide basic primary education to
over 12,000 children of illegal immigrants and stateless communities. Under

the current Malaysian regulations, these children are excluded from access to
school education.

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