ASEAN Signs Historic Charter Establishment of an ASEAN human rights body enshrined

Transcription

1 DECEMBER (Photo from the official website of the 13th ASEAN Summit) Heads of State toast the new Charter. ASEAN Signs Historic Charter Establishment of an ASEAN human rights body enshrined HEADS OF STATE from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a landmark Charter on November 20, 2007 during the 13 th ASEAN Summit in Singapore. The Charter, which took two years to produce, will turn the regional bloc into a rules-based, legal entity. It affirms ASEAN s commitment to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance and respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Another key feature is the incorporation of a human rights body as an organ of ASEAN. The Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) expressed its elation over the incorporation of human rights in the Charter. They said that the next step ASEAN should take is to define the terms of reference (TOR) which will concretely state the powers, functions, mandate, and details of the ASEAN human rights body. To ensure implementation, ASEAN should also abide by a reasonable timeframe to establish this. What we want is a body with teeth, not a paper tiger, said Secretary General Carlos Medina Jr., The Working Group is urging ASEAN to have the TOR and timeframe for completion as an output of the next ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting. We are offering our support and assistance for this. He stated that the Working Group had already submitted to ASEAN a Draft Agreement for the Establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights Commission in 2000 for its consideration. This contains the proposed mandate, structure, powers, and functions of a possible ASEAN Human Rights Commission. The Working Group has, in fact, been in dialogue with ASEAN on the issue of establishing an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism since 1996 and on the human rights areas of the Vientiane Action Programme since The relationship between the Working Group and ASEAN has been formalized in the ASEAN Charter. In Annex II, ASEAN now officially recognizes the Working Group as one of the entities associated with ASEAN. To prepare for the drafting of the Charter, ASEAN established an Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to examine and provide practical recommendations on the directions and nature of the ASEAN Charter. The EPG Recommendations became one of the sources for the provisions of the Charter, together with existing legal commitments of ASEAN, decisions of the ASEAN leaders, guidance by the ASEAN foreign ministers, and results of the consultations conducted by the High Level Task Force on the Drafting of an ASEAN Charter. The Charter, after being signed by ASEAN heads of state during the 13 th ASEAN Summit, will now be submitted to the national parliaments of ASEAN membercountries for ratification. INSIDE 2 Working Group Updates 4 Our People 5 News from the Region 8 From the Secretary-General s Desk www. aseanhrmech.org 1

2 HUMAN RIGHTS HERALD DECEMBER WORKING GROUP UPDATES Working Group Reports Human Rights Gains for Vientiane Action Programme THE WORKING GROUP for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) was kept busy during the days leading up to the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) with a series of meetings, the most significant of which was with the ASEAN Senior Officials Troika at the Philippine International Convention Center on July 29, It presented a report of its efforts in the implementation of four program areas on human rights in the Vientiane Action Programme (VAP), as well as developments in the initiative to set up an ASEAN human rights mechanism. VAP Update Mr. Marzuki Darusman, Working Group co-chair and head of delegation, gave the ASEAN senior officials an overview of the progress of the Working Group s activities since it was given the assignment during the 38th AMM in Vientiane on July 26, On the establishment of a commission on the promotion and protection of the rights of women and children, Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree, chair of the Thai Working Group, presented the initial findings of the ongoing research on the readiness of ASEAN countries for such a commission, and shared the recommendations of the Working Group. The main recommendation was to constitute a Joint Task Force (JTF) to draft the appropriate instrument to establish the commission. The JTF can be composed of senior officials appointed by ASEAN governments, representatives of the Working Group, ASEAN-ISIS and other civil society groups, as well as women s and children s rights experts. On the elaboration of an ASEAN instrument for the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers, the Working Group proposed that the relevant ASEAN bodies mentioned in paragraph 22 of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers must be identified as Members of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism get down to business as they meet with ASEAN senior officials. soon as possible. It also recommended that a meeting (possibly a Roundtable Discussion which the Working Group may organize) of the relevant ASEAN bodies be convened to follow up on the Declaration and to develop an ASEAN instrument on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers. On the promotion of human rights awareness and education in ASEAN, the Working Group reported that it has consulted with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) on this issue. ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong noted the Working Group s progress and suggested ways by which ASEAN and the Working Group can support each other. We (ASEAN Secretariat) can serve as your resource persons. From your side, you can encourage parliamentarians to see the bigger picture, especially on the issue of women s and children s rights. The Working Group can also enjoin other members of civil society to be on the same page as ASEAN, Ong said. Seventh Workshop in Singapore For its part, the Working Group will be continuously updating ASEAN on its progress in implementing the human rights program areas in the VAP. One opportunity to do this will be during the Seventh Workshop on the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism to be held in Singapore in We are happy to host this activity, said Singapore s senior official, Mr. Peter Ho Hak Ean, in response to a comment made by Philippine Working Group chair, former Senator Wigberto Tañada, that the annual workshops of the Working Group have been co-organized and co-hosted by whichever ASEAN member state is Chair of ASEAN. Singapore assumed the ASEAN chairmanship on August 2, (Photos from the official website of the 49th AMM)

3 ASEAN Writes a Charter, ASEAN Peoples React enshrined in the People s Charter. The ASEAN People s Charter is to be completed before the 14th ASEAN Summit in While they welcomed the planned ASEAN People s Charter, other CSOs said that the ASEAN Charter creates openings for important institutions and cautioned against rejecting it. Let us not slam the door on any opportunity or opening which will allow CSOs to engage ASEAN further for the promotion and protection of human rights, said Work Group Program Manager Ray Paolo Santiago. Let us build on the gains achieved by the ASEAN Charter, in particular, the ASEAN human rights body as an organ of ASEAN. Let us strive to make this a credible and effective institution for the ASEAN peoples. He elaborated that, on the issue of human rights, the ASEAN Charter cannot go lower than the standards provided for in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The promise of the establishment of a human rights body in the ASEAN Charter also encouraged international human rights groups operating in Southeast Asia. Dr. Yuval Ginbar, Legal Adviser of the International and Legal Organizations Program of the International Secretariat of Amnesty International said, Even if some governments may sign things because they look good on paper, they can take on a life of their own as time progresses. The Working Group has been advocating for the establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism since It has and will continue to officially meet with ASEAN governments and the ASEAN Secretariat in pursuit of this advocacy. Three major conferences were held in 2007 where ASEAN peoples shared their aspirations on the Charter: Third ASEAN + Civil Society Conference in Singapore (top row); 6th ASEAN People s Assembly in Manila (bottom left); ASEAN Civil Society Conference 2007 in Singapore (bottom right). w w w. a s e a n h r m e c h. o r g IN THE WEEKS leading to the signing of the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN peoples were actively discussing how this will affect Southeast Asia s and their future. Foremost among their concerns was the place of human rights in the Charter. ASEAN civil society must push their leaders to adopt a terms of reference and time frame without delay so that the human rights body may be established soonest. Without this commitment, we will be aiming too high but achieve nothing, stressed Dato Param Cumaraswamy, who represented the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group) in the ASEAN Civil Society Conference 2007 in Singapore. Other civil society organizations were concerned that the Charter would not give sufficient focus to the intergovernmental human rights body and that not all of the ASEAN peoples needs would be properly addressed. In response to this, about 200 participants of the Third ASEAN + Civil Society Conference held in Singapore on November 2-4, 2007 agreed to draft an ASEAN People s Charter. Unlike the ASEAN Charter which will turn ASEAN into a rules-based organization, the ASEAN People s Charter will contain the collective aspirations of the people in the region. The participants, who come from CSOs and trade unions from the region, said that key issues like human rights, social and economic justice, participatory democracy, rule of law, ecologically sustainable development, cultural diversity, and gender equality will be 3

4 WORKING GROUP UPDATES Singaporean Civil Society Forms MARUAH CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSOs) gathered at the Asia-Europe Foundation office in Singapore on September 1, 2007 for a dialogue-meeting with the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group). Co-Chair Marzuki Darusman and Secretary-General Carlos Medina Jr. highlighted the importance of grassroot support for the initiative to establish an ASEAN human rights mechanism. In line with this, they explored the possibility of having a national working group (NWG) in Singapore and how Singapore s CSOs can help form it. Currently, the region-wide Working Group is comprised of NWGs from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The Singaporeans agreed to form an interim group called the Singapore Working Committee for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism to coordinate interests and efforts towards creating an NWG for Singapore. The group is now known as MARUAH, the Malay word for dignity. Ms. Braema Mathiaparanam, an activist on women s, migrants and HIV issues who works at the Institute of South East Asian Studies, was chosen by the participants to coordinate the efforts of MARUAH. She said, We are committed to the process of informing and facilitating, from a Singaporean perspective, the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body. We believe that such a process will benefit the region and Singapore. Ms. Mathiaparanam notes that interest in human rights is still growing in the Singapore context. In response to this, MARUAH will approach the issue of hu- man rights at an appropriate pace, with a PPP (public-private-people) model built around partnerships with multiple stakeholders. MARUAH will coordinate closely with the Working Group. We believe that the MARUAH has much to contribute to regional discussions, especially in terms of Singapore s mechanisms to address interfaith and inter-racial relations. MARUAH will emphasize these in our regional work, Ms. Mathiaparanam added. MARUAH s formation is especially timely since the Singaporean government, the current chair of ASEAN, has agreed to co-host the 7th Workshop on the ASEAN Regional Mechanism on Human Rights a popular platform where CSOs and ASEAN government representatives interface in HUMAN RIGHTS HERALD DECEMBER OUR PEOPLE New Chairpersons for Cambodian, Thai Working Groups TWO NATIONAL WORKING groups of the region-wide Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism have new chairpersons. Taking over as chairperson of the Thai Working Group is Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree, the director of the Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development of Mahidol University. She is a member of the Subcommittee on Human Rights Situation Assessment, Child Rights, and Administration of Justice and Legislation of the Thai National Human Rights Commission. The Cambodian Working Group has named Dr. Kek Galabru as its new chairperson. Dr. Kek has a background in medicine, but is best known for her human rights work. Both women take the leadership roles of their respective National Working Groups at a pivotal time. Under Dr. Sriprapha s leadership, the Thai Working Group is producing a research paper that will hopefully be used by ASEAN in setting up a commission on the promo- Kek Galabru, chairperson of the Cambodian Working Group, and Sriprapha Petcharamesree, chairperson of the Thai Working Group. tion and protection of the rights of women and children. The Cambodian Working Group, with Dr. Kek at the helm, is providing support for the drafting of a law on the creation of a national human rights commission in Cambodia. We warmly congratulate Sriprapha and Kek on their new positions. The Thai and Cambodian Working Groups are dynamic and active, thanks to their efforts. We can only expect bigger things now that they are both leading their respective National Working Groups, said Mr. Marzuki Darusman, co-chair of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism.

5 OUR PEOPLE Dr. Kek Galabru Advancing human rights, brick by brick DR. KEK GALABRU assumes the chairmanship of the Cambodian Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (CWG) at a very interesting time in the history of human rights in Cambodia marks the beginning of a joint Cambodian civil society and government initiative to draft a law which will enable the establishment of an independent human rights institution. At the same time, Prime Minister Hun Sen has signed on to the ASEAN Charter which calls for the respect and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body. But Dr. Kek is no stranger to monumental change. It was she and her husband, a former French ambassador, who facilitated the meeting between (then) Prince Sihanouk of the opposition and Prime Minister Hun Sen in France in the late 80s. This led to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1991 which mandated a United Nations mission to Cambodia to supervise elections and end the civil war. In order to monitor the peace situation and the Khmer Rouge, Dr. Kek founded- barely a year later- one of Cambodia s first human rights organizations, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights or LICADHO. As the U.N. organized elections in Cambodia, Dr. Kek and LICADHO initiated trainings on human rights to sixteen thousand people, trained 775 election observers, and produced and Dr. Kek is one of the foremost advocates of human rights in Cambodia. distributed one million voting leaflets. Under Dr. Kek s leadership, LICADHO has increased its presence to 12 of Cambodia s 24 provinces. LICADHO, which is also a member organization of the CWG, champions the ratification and implementation of international human rights conventions by the Cambodian government. It is also strongly pushing for the establishment of a national human rights commission. One can expect the establishment of an independent, national human rights commission to be the lead advocacy of the CWG, now that Dr. Kek is its chairperson. She says, Human rights NGOs have long seen the need for a truly independent and effective national human rights commission If the Cambodian government shows real political will and a strong commitment to set up such a credible one, the International Community will surely support these plans. On September 25-27, 2006, she was one of the CWG organizers of the landmark conference where Prime Minister Hun Sen called for the establishment of a national human rights commission for Cambodia that complied with the Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions (Paris Principles). A joint committee made of civil society and government representatives was soon formed after that, with many CWG members comprising the civil society group. The draft law for the national human rights commission is targeted to be submitted to parliament no later than There may be obstacles ahead the Cambodian national elections on 2008 may hold up the work of the joint committee but Dr. Kek understands that the time is ripe for all actors to work together to establish an independent Commission. Dr. Kek says, One cannot solve all the problems in Cambodia at once. The work is similar to building a house brick by brick. Although it may take a long time to advance human rights, one needs to keep moving. www. aseanhrmech.org 5

6 NEWS FROM THE REGION 40th AMM Adopts Statement and Guidelines for Migrant Workers Rights AT THE 40 TH ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila in July 2007, ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to create a Committee to implement the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. They also formulated guidelines for ASEAN missions in third countries to provide assistance to nationals of other ASEAN member-states during crises. A document entitled Statement of the Establishment of the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers signed during the 12th ASEAN Summit was adopted by the ASEAN leaders in Cebu, the Philippines on 13 January Mandated to carry out bilateral and regional cooperation on migrant workers matters, the Committee will be composed of one senior representative from each ASEAN member country and an ASEAN Secretariat representative. Other functions of the Committee include encouraging international organizations, ASEAN Dialogue Partners and other countries to extend support and assistance in implementing the Declaration. It is also tasked with creating mechanisms between sending and receiving countries which will promote and protect the rights of migrant workers. Under the Guidelines for the Provision of Emergency, on the other hand, ASEAN member-state missions must provide assistance to ASEAN member-state nationals who are caught in conflict or crisis situations in third countries. A conflict or crisis situation is one where the general population of a given territory is placed at imminent risk because of military action, widespread violence and lawlessness, outbreak of highly contagious and dangerous diseases, massive destruction and devastation of physical infrastructure due to natural calamities and other similar situations officially announced by the local/central authority as an emergency situation. The adoption of the Statement and Guidelines strengthens ongoing efforts at building a caring and sharing ASEAN community, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo of the Philippines. The Guidelines underscore ASEAN s recognition of the shared responsibility to uphold people s rights and welfare, given the rapidly changing conditions in the region brought about by globalization. Mr. Marzuki Darusman, co-chairperson of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism (Working Group), lauded the adoption of the Statement and Guidelines. With an implementing Committee, the aspirations in the Declaration will not remain merely on paper. We are looking forward to seeing this Committee formed and empowered so that it can begin implementing what is in the Declaration, he said. He also recalled that the elaboration of a regional instrument on migrant workers is one of the human rights action points of ASEAN s Vientiane Action Programme which spells out the measures to be taken towards the unification of the strategies and goals of the three pillars of the ASEAN community. The Declaration is a pledge among ASEAN governments to ensure decent working conditions, to protect from all forms of abuse, and to guarantee wage to migrant workers within the region. Although the declaration is not legally binding and does not specifically say how its provisions will be implemented, the Working Group sees it as a significant move towards the creation of a thematic mechanism that can protect migrant workers. HUMAN RIGHTS HERALD DECEMBER ASEAN NHRIs Sign Landmark Declaration of Cooperation THE NATIONAL HUMAN rights institutions (NHRIs) of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines have banded together to address human rights issues in Southeast Asia. To formalize their commitment to addressing human rights issues of common concern, the group, which calls itself the ASEAN Four, has come up with a landmark Declaration of Cooperation signed by all four NHRIs during their Third Consultative Meeting in Bali, Indonesia on June 28, In the Declaration, the ASEAN Four agreed to carry out programs and activities on five human rights issues. These are: (1) suppression of terrorism while respecting human rights; (2) human rights aspects of trafficking in persons, (3) protection of the human rights of migrants and migrant workers, (4) implementation of economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development, and (5) the enhancement of human rights education. The Declaration also formally pledges to advise the ASEAN Four s respective governments on the steps that can be taken in establishing an ASEAN human rights mechanism. Since the Third Meeting coincided with the meeting also in Bali of the high level task force (HLTF) that drafted the ASEAN Charter, the four NHRIs engaged the HLTF and submitted a Position Paper which strongly pushed for the establishment of NHRIs in all ASEAN member-states. The ASEAN Four will further discuss how they can jointly support the human rights areas mentioned in the ASEAN Charter during their Fourth Consultative Meeting in the Philippines in the first quarter of International parliamentarians, human rights experts from the United Nations, and other groups have lauded the four NHRIs for partnering with each other at a sub regional level. Ms. Aruna Sharma, joint secretary of the National Human Rights

7 ASEAN, CSOs Decry the Myanmar Crackdown AS THE POLITICAL situation worsened and peaceful protestors were violently dispersed by the Myanmar government starting on September 26, 2007, the international community looked to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to use its influence and prevent massive human rights violations in that country. A few days after the crackdown, ASEAN Standing Committee Chair George Yeo called on Myanmar to grant safe entry into the country to United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gimbari. U.N. Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon tasked Gimbari to dialogue with all parties that could contribute to the process of national reconciliation, including Daw Aung San Su Kyii, who has been under house arrest since ASEAN heads of state also voiced their concern. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines urged Myanmar authorities to act in its own best interests to avoid its further isolation and to redeem its democracy without any further delay. Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told the United Nations General Assembly that, as a Buddhist nation, Thailand finds as unacceptable the commission of violence Commission of India, said that the ASEAN Four should serve as an inspiration to countries in the region without national human rights infrastructures. ASEAN Four is a platform which addresses a country s (sovereign) decision to have an NHRI for itself and also its need to cooperate with other NHRIs, she said. Currently, there are 20 NHRIs in Asia, four of which are in ASEAN. Support for Cambodia At a Workshop on the Establishment of National Human Rights Institutions on October 15-17, 2007 in Manila. The ASEAN Four pledged their support to assisting Cambodia and other ASEAN member-states in setting up their own NHRIs. Protests led by monks in Myanmar captured the attention of the world. and bodily harm to Buddhist monks and justice and the rule of law. other demonstrators in Yangon. Representatives of civil society ASEAN Foreign Ministers, who at the organizations, think tanks and the height of the crisis were at the UN academe who were present at the ASEAN headquarters in New York to review the Civil Society Conference on October 27, draft of the ASEAN Charter, held an informal 2007 in Singapore expressed their meeting on the Myanmar situation on willingness to help in the reconciliation September 27. process in Myanmar by assisting their Foreign Ministers from nine ASEAN counterparts in the country. Myanmar has member states released their collective recently allowed the United Nations statement to Myanmar Foreign Minister agencies to step in to assist in national Nyan Win, who was present at the meeting. reconciliation efforts. Why not allow a task They said that they were appalled by news force from ASEAN, since Myanmar is part reports that automatic weapons were used of the ASEAN community, to enter and to disperse protestors and demanded that help? Dato Param Cumaraswamy, Myanmar s government immediately desist chairperson of the Malaysian Working from the use of violence against Group for an ASEAN Human Rights demonstrators. Mechanism, asked. Concerned civil society networks in the Myanmar was granted entry into ASEAN region echoed ASEAN s call to Myanmar. in 1997 on the basis of its long-term plans The Working Group for an ASEAN Human towards democratization. Its seven-step Rights Mechanism (Working Group) also roadmap mainly includes reconvening the pointed out that the Government of national convention, drafting a new state Myanmar, as part of ASEAN, should aspire constitution, holding of a national for, as stated in ASEAN Vision 2020, a referendum on the drafted constitution, peaceful and stable Southeast Asia where holding general elections and the formation each nation is at peace with itself and of a new civilian government. It also where the causes for conflict have been committed to the eventual release of all eliminated, through abiding respect for political detainees. (Photo by Josh Fisher ( www. aseanhrmech.org 7

8 FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL S DESK After the Charter HUMAN RIGHTS HERALD DECEMBER THESE ARE EXCITING times for human rights in Southeast Asia. The Human Rights Herald has faithfully and patiently chronicled developments in the region for many years. So it is with great joy that we in the Secretariat are actually producing, at this very moment, a newsletter issue which declares in its front page: ASEAN Signs Historic Charter, Establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Body Enshrined. While we celebrate, we are aware that our work continues. The call for the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body will remain an aspiration as long as ASEAN has not defined a definite terms of reference (TOR) and a timeframe. We look back to 2000 when the Working Group submitted to ASEAN a Draft Agreement on the Establishment of an ASEAN Human Rights Commission. This contained a proposed mandate, structure, powers and functions of a possible ASEAN Human Rights Commission. It is our hope that the ASEAN foreign ministers draw ideas from this submission when they craft the TOR for the ASEAN human rights body. The Working Group, in the Draft Agreement, proposed that the ASEAN Human Rights Commission should have the following powers: (1) to develop an awareness of human rights among peoples in the region; (2) to recommend the adoption of measures which favor human rights; (3) to prepare studies or reports as it performs its duties; (4) to request governments for information on their measures for human rights; (5) to investigate on its own initiative (alleged) violations of human rights; (6) to respond to inquiries and provide advisory services; (7) to take action on petitions and communications pursuant to its authority; (8) to interpret all the provisions of this agreement if this is requested by the State; (9) to submit an annual report to Ministers of Foreign Affairs and to make these available to the public; and (10) to perform any other tasks for the promotion and protection of human rights which may be entrusted to it by Heads of State, Governments, and Ministers of Foreign Affairs. We welcome you to view the full length of the Draft Agreement in our website, Meanwhile, let us support ASEAN as it goes about fulfilling its commitments to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and good governance and where there is respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as enshrined in the Charter. Carlos P. Medina Jr. This is a bi-annual publication of the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism. For subscription requests, information, comments and suggestions, please contact us: info@aseanhrmech.org Phone: (+632) Fax: (+632) Editorial Board Carlos P. Medina Jr. Paulynn P. Sicam Ray Paolo J. Santiago Anne A. Elicaño Joy B. Ponsaran Secretariat Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism Ground Floor, APS Building 20 Rockwell Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City 1200 PHILIPPINES