An action plan for 2014 to further promote and protect the rights of women and children have been adopted at a recent meeting of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), said the ASEAN Secretariat.

At the special meeting in Brunei on November 26-27, the ACWC discussed strategies to implement the eight areas of commitments reflected in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Elimination of Violence against Children in ASEAN adopted by the Leaders at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in October, 2013.

A framework of actions was discussed based on the corresponding projects under the ACWC Work Plan 2012-2016.

An inter-sectoral consultation meeting with other relevant ASEAN bodies and dialogue session with civil society organisations were planned for next February to encourage the community’s involvement to implement the Declaration.
Progress of completed, on-going and planned projects under the Plan was reviewed at the meeting.

The eighth ACWC meeting is scheduled for February 17-20, 2014 at the ASEAN Secretariat’s headquarters, Jakarta, Indonesia.-VNA