ASEAN Must Reject Double Standards and Politicization of Human Rights Issues

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi stressed the need for the unity of ASEAN countries to reject double standards and the politicization of human rights issues.

For this reason, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs encourages ASEAN to continue to be committed to pushing for the resolution of various human rights issues in the region.

“ASEAN must not ignore human rights issues (HAM). The differences that we have are not a reason to ignore crucial human rights issues that occur in our region.” said Retno at the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) meeting on Tuesday, in Jakarta.

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Retno said, in the context of advancing human rights, ASEAN must continue to maintain cooperation based on good faith and a willingness to learn from one another. In this case, Foreign Minister Retno conveyed two focus areas for ASEAN cooperation in the field of human rights.

First, the need to maintain the tradition of dialogue. According to Foreign Minister Retno, amidst various differences, ASEAN must continue to prioritize dialogue to oversee the progress that has been made in the field of human rights. One example is through the ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue. This forum proves that ASEAN countries can engage in honest and open dialogue to discuss human rights issues in the region.

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“This forum is important to be held regularly. Therefore, we hope that the Leaders’ Declaration on the ASEAN Human Rights Dialogue can be achieved,” said Retno.

Second, the need to project ASEAN values to the global level. In this regard, Foreign Minister Retno said that the global crisis and rivalries that occurred had compounded the challenges for advancing global human rights issues. He encouraged ASEAN to set an example by prioritizing a constructive approach, rather than carrying out acts of accusing each other.

With regard to increasing the role of AICHR, Retno hopes that AICHR programs are not limited to capacity building, but can take the form of other initiatives that have a real impact.

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In the meeting of foreign ministers with AICHR representatives, the issue of Myanmar still dominated the discussion. Apart from the Myanmar issue, the meeting also discussed issues regarding TPPO and the impact of climate change on human rights. Representatives highlighted concerns over the escalation of violence and the lack of progress on the implementation of 5PC.

Regarding the implementation of the 5PC, Retno said that this issue would be discussed at the ASEAN Minister’s Meeting (AMM) Retreat. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)