Mahidol University

Mahidol University has established one of the best Human Rights programs in the region, and it has attracted students from all over the world. Mahidol University has a very multi-cultural student body in the Human Rights program, composed of degree candidates from various countries, including Australia, Afghanistan, the United States, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. Thailand is also renowned for being a hub for Human Rights in the region. Various international NGOs and inter-governmental organizations have headquarters in Bangkok. The UN has made Thailand its regional headquarters in the Far East. The cohort of Mahidol students had the opportunity to listen to and interact with officials from the various UN agencies. It was a chance to learn about the specialized functions of the different agencies, their fields of concern and their current projects. It was also an opportunity to encourage Mahidol graduate students in exploring future professional engagements with the UN. "Maybe in five years time, I would pursue working for the UN, particularly with UNESCO because it focuses on human rights education," said Nguyen Anh Tuan, a graduate student from Vietnam. Among the guest speakers were Max Tunon of the International Labor Organization, Amarsanaa Darisuren of UN Women, Dr. Homayoun Alizadeh of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Marco Roncarati of UN ESCAP. Incidentally, Marco has a son who also studies at Mahidol University. "I found it interesting to listen to Max (of ILO) about the latest studies on attitudes towards migrants," said Hnin Wut Yee, a Burmese student. "Similar findings in other places do much to help us understand our own context on migrant issues." Some of the issues tackled included addressing persistent gender gaps, migration, youth unemployment, redefining the concept of "decent work", re-balancing developing world economies, promoting intra-global south cooperation, and developing a third track human rights mechanism for ASEAN. Participants and speakers also discussed UN efforts in working with ASEAN states to building specific human rights programs, treaty body consultation and implementation, partnerships with international civil society and the use of UN Special Procedures. Finally, human rights trends discussed the aftermath of the Universal Periodic Review First Cycle and the establishment of UN Women. "It was really interesting to hear about UN Women, which is the new agency that replaced old institutions like UNIFEM," said Acharamas Udomsiri, one of the four Thai students on the human rights programs. Mahidol students also took a brief tour of the UN Headquarters library and had a light snack at the Rajapruek Lounge in the main lobby.