The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) began operating in October 2009, under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an intergovernmental organization with 10 Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The AICHR is composed of 10 State representatives, one for each ASEAN Member State. Since its creation, the AICHR has held a number of meetings, workshops and conferences on human rights topics and on its own mandate. Its functions and procedures are outlined in the Terms of Reference and Guidelines on the Operations of the AICHR.
South Asia encompasses the following countries: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
