Govt urged to ratify conventions on human rights
Govt urged to ratify conventions on human rights
JAKARTA (JP): The Second National Workshop on Human Rights,
which ended here yesterday, called on the government to ratify an
international convention on basic rights.
The participants of the workshop, opened by President Soeharto
on Monday, said in a statement here yesterday that when ratifying
the conventions the authorities will have to take into account
the degree of universality of the conventions and the
consequences of the reports on the ratifications.
The workshop concluded that the government should not face
serious difficulties in ratifying them promptly, especially those
that have already been ratified by 100 countries.
"It would be better if the government were to ratify three or
four conventions a year, leaving the rest to be finished within
about five years," the statement said.
The workshop also recommended that the government pay special
attention to certain rights because of their special nature ...
the breaches of which are categorized as "gross violations".
The workshop also stated that Indonesia needs a climate
conducive to implementing human rights and should thus reinforce
its police force, confirm the freedom of the judicial system and
the press, as well as boosting the role of the legislative body
and providing full recognition for the legal profession and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs).
"Indonesia really needs a strong society besides a strong
government," it said.
The participants of the workshop also agreed that human rights
values should be disseminated through formal and non-formal
institutions at home. They believe the press has an important
role to play in the improvement of the implementation and
protection of human rights.
Memorandum
Indonesia signed a UN memorandum yesterday for the protection
and promotion of human rights.
The memorandum of intent will allow this country and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to cooperate in
the development and implementation of programs for the promotion
and protection of human rights in Indonesia.
The document was signed by John Pace, representative of the UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights and Izhar Ibrahim, the
director general for political affairs of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
Ibarahim said that the signing of the memorandum of intent
reflects the firm commitment of both (the signatories) to
cooperate for the promotion and protection of human rights here.
(tis)