A/HRC/21/7 8. The delegation referred to three areas in which Indonesia is fulfilling its human rights commitments. First, since 2008, laws on freedom of expression, elimination of racial and ethnic discrimination, and trafficking in persons, among others, have been passed and are being implemented. 9. In November 2011, Indonesia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In May 2012, Indonesia ratified the International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICRMW). Indonesia is firmly committed to ensuring the welfare of its migrant workers and will take an active part in the global campaign for the universal ratification of this Convention. 10. The bills on the ratification of two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child have been submitted to Parliament. Indonesia expects them to be ratified soon. 11. Indonesia is in the process of ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED), which it signed in 2010. 12. Secondly, Indonesia established the National Action Plan on Human Rights for the period 2011-2014, the third in a series of such plans. It provides a solid platform at both national and subnational levels for the mainstreaming of human rights issues. A new component of the latest Plan is the establishment of a public complaints service. 13. Indonesia is consistently strengthening its collaboration with all relevant stakeholders. The Government is working hand in hand with its vibrant civil society and the free mass media in advancing human rights. 14. Indonesia has extended invitations to three Special Rapporteurs on the rights to health, adequate housing and freedom of opinion and expression. Two of the Rapporteurs are scheduled to visit Indonesia in 2013. 15. Indonesia’s democratic transformation over the past 14 years has been paralleled by change within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indonesia held the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2011. The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration is being formulated. 16. As part of wider efforts to create conditions conducive for the promotion and protection of human rights, Indonesia in 2008 launched the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF). It has established an extensive network of bilateral cooperation and dialogue. As the country with the largest Muslim population, Indonesia has worked hard for the establishment of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It held its inaugural meeting in Jakarta from 20 to 24 February 2012. It will thus accentuate the compatibility of Islam with human rights and democracy. 17. At the global level, Indonesia speaks and acts consistently in support of the promotion and respect of economic, social and cultural rights, which are critical to much of humanity in the developing world. 18. Like other democracies, well-established ones as well as those in transition, Indonesia is conscious that the promotion and protection of human rights is not without challenges. While democracy brings freedom, it can also provide openings for extremists to exploit the democratic space for their own gains, often promoting religious intolerance and triggering communal conflicts, against democratic principles. For Indonesia, given its size and diversity, the challenges are multiplied. Yet, Indonesia is of the strong conviction that the voices of reason and moderation can and, indeed, must prevail. This can be achieved by objectively acknowledging where gaps and shortcomings are still prevalent and 4

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents