Compared to other regions in the world, Indonesia believes that the Asia-Pacific region has been left behind in terms of upholding human rights. This is seen from the lack of a human rights institution at regional level.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda stated this when opening the 14th workshop of Cooperation for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region, Tuesday (10/7). “We're concerned because there’s been no joint cooperation mechanism,” said Foreign Affairs Director General for Multilateral Cooperation, Rezlan Ishar Jenie, reading the speech.
Hassan cited Europe that has a European Court of Human Rights; Africa with the African Commission on Human and People's Rights and also America with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Court of Human Rights. He is certain that if there is a political will, such an institution can come to a realization.
In the meantime, the Foreign Affairs Minister is of the opinion that currently the human rights matter has undergone transition. In the 1980-1990 period, human rights are identical with individual and political rights as appeared in the issue of freedom of expression. The view of human rights is very much influenced by a liberal democracy tradition in Western countries.
However, later on developing countries viewed human rights from a social, economic and cultural perspective. It was seen that the poverty issue is a part of the human rights issue. “It is ironic because now there are still millions of people in the world who are living with an income below US$1 per day,” he said.
The workshop is an activity that has been carried out for the 14th time by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva. Indonesia was the host of the second workshop in 1993. The workshop will discuss the main theme, 'Human Rights and Extreme Poverty'.
The workshop was opened by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister and Ms. Louise Arbour from OHCHR. Participants were government representatives, national commissions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Representatives from special organizations, inter-governmental organizations, inter-regional governmental organizations and the United States Commission for Economic and Social Activities in the Asia-Pacific were also invited as observers.
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tempoLabels: Asia, Foreign, Indonesia, Pacific
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