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)