Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Calls for Commitment to Upholding Human Rights, Including in Palestine

Geneva, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi attended the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday. She called for a commitment to upholding human rights.

“The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be a momentum to strengthen commitment to upholding human rights, and must not divide attention to the condition of human rights in the world,” said the Foreign Minister.

Even though so far the Declaration continues to inspire transformation towards a more just, equal and inclusive world, Retno conveyed the importance of close cooperation to make this happen.

“The question now is what are we going to do? Are we going to be silent and indifferent? Or… shall we work hard together… and do even better?” she added.

For this reason, the Foreign Minister suggested three things that need to be the focus of cooperation to strengthen human rights.

First, do real action for humanity. Retno explained that wars and conflicts must stop because they only harm humanity. Therefore, peaceful solutions must continue to be put forward, including in Palestine, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Ukraine.

“We must not close our eyes to the suffering of our brothers in Palestine. The incident in Huwara shows that the human rights and humanitarian situation in Palestine is getting worse,” said Retno.

The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs also conveyed that the rights of women and girls should not be ignored, including in Afghanistan. Regarding Myanmar, as Chair of ASEAN, Indonesia will continue to make efforts to communicate with all relevant parties, to encourage an inclusive national dialogue.

Second, increasing efforts to prevent human rights violations. The Foreign Minister said that strengthening the prevention aspect would contribute to stronger protection for human rights.

Therefore, the state has the responsibility to ensure affirmative policies, equal access to opportunities and resources, and mechanisms to seek justice by victims. In this case the Human Rights Council can contribute through national capacity building and capacity building facilitation.

The Foreign Minister also underlined the importance of admitting past mistakes and human rights violations to prevent the same thing from happening in the future. Indonesia is committed to rehabilitating victims, without setting aside legal settlements.

“This year President Joko Widodo has acknowledged and regretted 12 incidents of past human rights violations,” said the Foreign Minister.

The Foreign Minister also emphasized that the courage to admit is crucial for better respect for human rights and Indonesia has that courage.

Third, strengthening the human rights architecture. The UN Human Rights Council must adapt to the latest human rights challenges and continue to improve itself.

“Impartiality , transparency, and dialogue must be the main ” spirit ” of the Human Rights Council . We must continue to protect the Human Rights Council from being politicized and used by the Human Rights Council as a tool for geopolitical rivalries , ” said the Foreign Minister .

Accusing each other and imposing double standards will not produce a solution. For this reason, the unity of the Human Rights Council must be put forward, not the us vs them mentality.

In the region, Indonesia continues to strive to strengthen human rights mechanisms. As Chair of ASEAN, Indonesia will strengthen the mandate of the ASEAN Human Rights Commission, the ASEAN Commission on the Protection of Women and Children, and institutionalize a regional human rights dialogue.

Indonesia’s candidacy for the Human Rights Council

Reaffirming Indonesia’s commitment to upholding human rights, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs conveyed Indonesia’s candidacy as a Member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 period with the theme “Inclusive Partnership for Humanity.” The Minister of Foreign Affairs asked for support from countries for Indonesia’s candidacy.

During her visit to Geneva, the Foreign Minister also held bilateral meetings with several countries/parties, namely Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, Palestine, Finland, France, Maldives, Iran, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Apart from discussing the issue of Indonesia’s candidacy as a member of the Human Rights Council, the bilateral meetings also discussed trade and investment issues, Indonesia’s chairmanship in ASEAN, follow-up to the G20 agreement, as well as issues of mutual concern such as Myanmar, Afghanistan and Palestine. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)