The Komnas HAM workshop has three related objectives:

1.To lay the basis for the development of a regional human rights standard for agricultural expansion in SE Asia with particular reference to palm oil. This will be based on international human rights standards and the ICC Edinburgh Declaration.

2. To identify opportunities for using plural legal approaches for securing rights" especially in land" of indigenous peoples and other customary law communities and

3. To build mutual understanding between Human Rights Commissioners and regional lawyers" human rights activists and supportive NGOs" in support of the work of the Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions.

The main participants will be the regional Human Rights Commissioners from South East Asian countries including Indonesia (KOMNASHAM)" Malaysia (SUHAKAM)" Thailand and the Philippines" the Cambodia Human Rights Committee" the Human Rights Ombudsman for Timor-Leste and a representative of the ASEAN Human Rights Council and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. United Nations Special Rapporteur on The Right to Food" Oliver de Schutter" will also present opening comments for the event.

Other participants will include representatives of national and international organisations that participated in the 2010 preparatory process for this conference" from indigenous peoples’ organisations" NGOs" academia and human rights groups.