Jakarta – “Indonesia is ready to present its achievements in fulfilling its human rights at the UN Human Rights Council through the UPR mechanism,” said the Director General of Multilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Tri Tharyat, in front of representatives of embassies, international organizations, and national human rights institutions in Jakarta.
The statement was conveyed at the “Road to UPR: Briefing of Indonesia’s Upcoming 4th UPR in the Human Rights Council”, a briefing held by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In preparation for the UN Human Rights Council, the Government of Indonesia last completed the Indonesian National Report for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on August 8 2022, which contains various achievements and challenges in fulfilling and protecting human rights in the country for the last 5 (five) years.
The UPR has always been a welcome momentum for the Government and civil society. It is a big opportunity for stakeholders to conduct constructive dialogue in responding to the challenges of fulfilling human rights. The responses and recommendations that will be given by other UN member countries and civil society groups at the UPR Dialogue will become additional input and guidance for the government to continue making policy improvements.
The Indonesian government will specifically raise the uniqueness of its 4th UPR reporting situation, namely the COVID-19 pandemic which greatly affects efforts to fulfill human rights by all countries, including Indonesia. The government therefore places human rights at its main core of policies to recover from the pandemic.
The report preparation has been carried out in an inclusive manner, receiving valuable input from various national human rights institutions, academics and civil society organizations in the country. “We should be proud that civil society has become a solid and reliable partner of the Government in the protection and promotion of human rights,” said Ambassador Febrian A. Ruddyard, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia for the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia in Geneva via a pre-recorded message.
The briefing is attended by more than 100 participants from embassies, representatives of international organizations, and national human rights institutions. Several speakers discussed the highlights of the UPR report and Indonesia’s human rights agenda, including Mrs. Hajerati, Director of Human Rights Cooperation, Ministry of Law and Human Rights and Mr. Mugiyanto, Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff Office, representing Mrs. Jaleswari P., Deputy V of the Presidential Staff Ofiice, who earlier gave her video-remarks. The Regional Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for Southeast Asia, Cynthia Veliko, was also present as a speaker, showing a form of concrete support and cooperation that has been established between Indonesia and OHCHR.
“November 2022 will be a special month because not only Indonesia will host the G20 Summit, but will also participate in the UPR at the UN Human Rights Council,” underlined Ambassador Tharyat when closing the event. The UPR mechanism is not an adjudication process on a country’s human rights record but a forum for dialogue that prioritizes cooperation for future improvements.
