Appointment of Singapore's Representatives to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)

The Government of Singapore has appointed Associate Professor (A/P) Eugene Tan as Singapore’s Representative and Ms Stefanie Yuen Thio as Singapore’s Alternate Representative, to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) for the term 2025 to 2027.

 

The AICHR was inaugurated in 2009 as ASEAN’s overarching institution responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN.

 

Singapore is an active member of AICHR, having supported AICHR’s efforts in enhancing cooperation on human rights issues amongst ASEAN Member States as well as with our external partners. We have worked with our AICHR partners on key themes such as women empowerment, corporate social responsibility and environmental protection. Last year, we hosted an AICHR Dialogue on countering disinformation and misinformation that was co-organised with the European Union.

 

Our AICHR Representatives convene periodic consultations with local Civil Society Organisations, most recently in November 2024, to better understand their perspectives and reflect them in our engagement within AICHR. We are confident that A/P Tan and Ms Yuen will continue to advance our strong engagement in AICHR.

 

The Government of Singapore would also like to extend our utmost appreciation to Dr Shashi Jayakumar for his invaluable contributions both as Singapore’s Alternate Representative and subsequently Representative to AICHR from 2016 to 2024.

 

 

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

26 FEBRUARY 2025

 

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Biographical Summary of Eugene K B Tan

 

Eugene Tan is an Associate Professor of Law at the Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University, where he regularly teaches at the law, business, and social sciences schools at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive education levels. Prior to that, he was at the National University of Singapore (Political Science Department) and the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. He was concurrently, at various times, an adjunct faculty at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and South Korea’s Yonsei University Law School. Between 2012 and 2014, Eugene served as a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore’s 12th Parliament.

 

Eugene’s inter-disciplinary research specialisations include constitutional and administrative law, law and public policy, the government and politics of Singapore, the regulation of ethnic conflict, business ethics and corporate responsibility, and the ethical and policy framework on artificial intelligence. He regularly engages different audiences from academia, corporate executives, policy makers, media, and the public in Singapore and abroad in these areas.

 

His scholarly works and parliamentary speeches have been cited in numerous academic publications, government reports, media articles, and by Singapore’s High Court and Court of Appeal. His latest book is Raising the Nation: Race, Religion, Language, and Identity in Singapore (2025).

 

A sought-after political analyst in the local and international media, Eugene also regularly contributes opinion-editorials to various Singaporean and international print and online media outlets.

 

A firm believer in civil society and charitable causes, Eugene also serves on the boards of various charities and youth organisations including the Catholic Welfare Services, National Youth Achievement Award, Singapore Scout Association, Singapore Swimming Association, and Tan Kah Kee Foundation.

 

Eugene was Singapore’s Alternate Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights between 2019 and 2024. An advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, Eugene was educated at the National University of Singapore, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Stanford University where he was a Fulbright Fellow.

 

 

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Biographical Summary of Stefanie Yuen Thio

 

Stefanie Yuen Thio is the Joint Managing Partner of TSMP Law Corporation. She also heads its corporate practice. TSMP won the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s (NVPC) President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards in 2018 and was named a Champion of Good by NVPC in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

 

Stefanie has a long history of volunteering in charities. In 2022, she established SG Her Empowerment (SHE), on the back of the work that she had done as part of the Sunlight Alliance for Action to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at women and girls, set up by the Ministry of Communications and Information in July 2021. SHE's mission is to create a more equal society in Singapore for women and men. In 2024, she was conferred a Partner of Labour award in the May Day Awards for her work in SHE.

 

Stefanie’s work for other registered Singapore charities included The Community Foundation of Singapore, Dover Park Hospice, IC2 Prephouse Ltd., The Smile Mission Ltd and the Singapore Art Museum.

 

Stefanie advocates for gender diversity and leads TSMP’s women empowerment initiatives. TSMP was named Best National Firm for Women in Business Law and Best Gender Diversity Initiative in 2014.

 

Stefanie holds a LLB (Hons) from the National University of Singapore and has been practising for 31 years, specialising in mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets transactions. She is the chairperson of ESR-LOGOS REIT, listed on the SGX-ST. She was appointed to the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Corporate Governance Advisory Committee in 2025.