1) International Scrutiny Will Improve Indonesia’s Human Rights: Activist
2) Islands in focus: Seven smuggled dogs seized in Jayapura
3) New posts on West Papua Media alerts
-------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/international-scrutiny-will-improve-indonesias-human-rights-activist/564956
-------------------------------------------------------------
1) International Scrutiny Will Improve Indonesia’s Human Rights: Activist
Ronna Nirmala | January 08, 2013
Indonesia will pay more attention to human rights violations this year because the United Nations will assess the country’s commitment in protecting civil and political rights, the Human Rights Working Group has predicted.
Indonesia will show its commitment to protect human rights because the UN human rights committee will send three special rapporteurs to asses the freedom of expression, housing and health, the nongovernmental group said on Monday.
HRWG added that Indonesia this year will also play an important role in global politics, especially in the trade and economic sectors.
“Indonesia has the opportunity to become the chair of 2013 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation during the trade policy review session in April 2013 in Geneva. And Indonesia has also stated its willingness to host the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference in December 2013,” said Rafendi Djamin, executive director of HRWG.
Rafendi said that Indonesia could use the international forum to declare that it was a country that protects human rights and was a supporter of democracy. But the declaration should be supported by improving human rights at home.
“Indonesia plays a crucial role. Indonesia could lose the role if it fails to do its homework in strengthening democracy and protecting human rights. If it succeeds, it will strengthen Indonesia’s position in the international scene,” Rafendi said.
Rafendi hoped that Indonesia would implement human rights protection for its own sake and not just to create a positive international image.
“Various issues will be [scrutinized] in the human rights committee’s trial, such as political civil rights, religious freedom, judicial independence, the freedom to join an organization and the freedom of expression, and therefore the measures to improve them should be concrete,” he said.
Rafendi said that Indonesia’s APEC chairmanship and it hosting the WTO meeting showed that Indonesia plays an important role in the global economy.
He added that amid international recognition of its achievement in sustaining high economic growth, Indonesia should make efforts to reduce poverty and improve economic management, especially in the plantation and mining sectors, which significantly contributed to economic growth but were also a source of a significant amount of human rights violations.
Indonesia will show its commitment to protect human rights because the UN human rights committee will send three special rapporteurs to asses the freedom of expression, housing and health, the nongovernmental group said on Monday.
HRWG added that Indonesia this year will also play an important role in global politics, especially in the trade and economic sectors.
“Indonesia has the opportunity to become the chair of 2013 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation during the trade policy review session in April 2013 in Geneva. And Indonesia has also stated its willingness to host the World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference in December 2013,” said Rafendi Djamin, executive director of HRWG.
Rafendi said that Indonesia could use the international forum to declare that it was a country that protects human rights and was a supporter of democracy. But the declaration should be supported by improving human rights at home.
“Indonesia plays a crucial role. Indonesia could lose the role if it fails to do its homework in strengthening democracy and protecting human rights. If it succeeds, it will strengthen Indonesia’s position in the international scene,” Rafendi said.
Rafendi hoped that Indonesia would implement human rights protection for its own sake and not just to create a positive international image.
“Various issues will be [scrutinized] in the human rights committee’s trial, such as political civil rights, religious freedom, judicial independence, the freedom to join an organization and the freedom of expression, and therefore the measures to improve them should be concrete,” he said.
Rafendi said that Indonesia’s APEC chairmanship and it hosting the WTO meeting showed that Indonesia plays an important role in the global economy.
He added that amid international recognition of its achievement in sustaining high economic growth, Indonesia should make efforts to reduce poverty and improve economic management, especially in the plantation and mining sectors, which significantly contributed to economic growth but were also a source of a significant amount of human rights violations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.