(Ed. Note: At the national and local levels, despite the many human rights violations, most poignantly in East Timor and Burma, the author believes there are brighter signs in the form of innovative programmes and activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Vitit Muntarbhorn is a professor at the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University. He was formerly United Nations University Fellow at Oxford University and United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children. The following is derived from his paper for the Regional Hearing for the Asia and Pacific Region in preparation for the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations, organised by Escap and United Nations University Tokyo, Sept 9-10, 1999.)