State Secretary Kjetil Skogrand

Opening Statement at Indonesia - Norway 5th bilateral dialogue on Human Rights

Jakarta,
27 April 2006

Honoured Minister,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to be here today and have the opportunity to take part in this fifth meeting in the human rights dialogue between Norway and Indonesia.

Anyone who has made the journey can testify to the physical distance between our two countries. But recent events have demonstrated that we live in an increasingly interconnected world. The cartoon controversy, which began with the publication of cartoons in Denmark, but rapidly became a global issue, is a case in point. It served to remind Norwegians and Indonesians that despite the geographical distance between us, we are actors on the same global stage. It also reminded us of the need for dialogue, a dialogue inspired by the challenges we share, aimed at increased understanding, but with ample room for differences of view, much like the dialogue we shall pursue in the coming days.

There are many reasons why Norway finds Indonesia such an interesting and important partner. I would like to mention just a few:

Norway and Indonesia, albeit from different points of departure, share an ambition to contribute to dialogue and peaceful solutions internationally. The situation in Iran is one example, where both our countries have been trying to play a moderating role and prevent the growing tension from turning into a violent conflict. Another example is the unique role played by Indonesia in keeping a critical dialogue with Myanmar.

Another significant perspective that unites us is the emphasis which both Indonesia and Norway place on the centrality of multilateralism and the United Nations. The UN needs critical, yet constructive friends in difficult times. The Norwegian Government will further strengthen Norway’s contribution to the UN. We will enhance our civilian and military engagement in UN lead peace operations, with a particular focus on Africa. Let me add that we are well aware of the significant contribution Indonesia is making to UN peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere on the African continent.

In the field of human rights, the member states of the UN have succeeded in developing a number of legal instruments and tools to improve the conditions of mankind. The 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the subsequent human rights conventions and procedures represent an impressive body of international law. The challenge at hand, however, is that of implementation.

As one of the world’s largest democracies and a major force in ASEAN, Indonesia has a key role to play in promoting human rights in the Asian-Pacific region. Norway appreciates the leading role taken on by Indonesia in connection with efforts to establish a regional human rights mechanism for Asia.

There are many challenges ahead in 2006 for those of us who are concerned with the UN and the human rights framework. The Human Rights Commission, which was instrumental in developing many of the special procedures, is now history. We are now looking towards the newly established Human Rights Council and the new start it offers. First and foremost, we need to make the work more effective and replace an atmosphere of mistrust with one of confidence. The reform of the UN builds on the strong linkages between human rights, development and security. There is clear evidence to substantiate that respect for human rights foster political stability and social and economic development. Hence, promotion of human rights is in our common interest to pursue.

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Let me now turn to the human rights dialogue and the meeting ahead of us. Let me first say that we highly appreciate this part of our bilateral co-operation, which serves to evidence Indonesia’s clear commitment to human rights. I would also like to commend Indonesia for significant human rights progress the last year, not least as a result of the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Aceh.

The dialogue between Indonesia and Norway has been going on for half a decade, during which our confidence in each other has grown. We have been able to address very topical issues of great relevance to the human rights situation more generally. We are able to speak openly about challenges, be it in the use of force by police and military, or in the fight against terrorism. One important aspect of the dialogue we have come to appreciate highly, is the frank exchanges among professionals. People who share the same profession know the practical challenges involved in combining respect for human rights with their exercise of their duties. We are grateful to all high ranking representatives of different professions that contribute to our dialogue. Your discussions, and the project activities that follow, make the dialogue the open and action oriented process we would like it to be.

In my view, we have again here in Jakarta the opportunity to address important topics of great relevance for both Norway and Indonesia:

Firstly, we have agreed to discuss implementation of human rights. And rightly so, as making human rights a reality is all about implementation.

Indonesia has over a short period of time made important leaps forward in ratification of international human rights instruments. We commend the ratification in 2005 of the two UN covenants on human rights. We hope that you will also achieve the objective set out in the Plan of Action for Human Rights of ratifying more of the core instruments. We also note with appreciation that you plan to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in 2008. The ratification and subsequent implementation of these core legal instruments will provide a strong platform for your efforts to further promote and protect human rights.

What we should aim for is finding ways in which our human rights dialogue can strengthen Indonesia’s capacity to implement and report on the implementation of these instruments.

Secondly, we have agreed to discuss, more specifically, implementation of freedom of religion or belief. Every person has the right to freedom of religion and the right to protection from religious discrimination. Tolerance, mutual respect and dialogue are fundamental values both in Norwegian society and in our foreign policy.

To address these issues, we have invited representatives from religions or beliefs and from the media to this meeting in order to discuss these issues in an interfaith dialogue perspective. I hope and trust that these discussions will be fruitful and interesting.

Thirdly we have agreed to discuss freedom of expression. This freedom is a universally recognised human right and one of the pillars of Norwegian democracy. This also entails tolerance for views that are not shared by everyone. The media has an essential role to play in promoting and nurturing a constructive, informed and open public debate. The Indonesian press is well known for its strong, independent voice, and I welcome the contributions by Chief Editor Bambang Harymurti in Tempo and others to this debate.

Fourthly, we have agreed to address the precarious relationship between the establishment of security measures and respecting human rights. This relationship comes to the fore when states are faced with serious threats, such as terrorism. I claim that it is more important than ever to emphasise that any perception that fundamental rights and freedoms can be set aside to fight terrorism will in the long term only undermine the fight.

The last topic that I would briefly like to comment upon is human rights in the line of duty of the police. The effective separation of the police and the military here in Indonesia was an important and necessary decision to foster democracy. A professional police force should uphold the supremacy of law and respect human rights. Yet the police – everywhere - is often criticised for human rights abuses. Last year the National Police and KOMNAS HAM entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Human Rights. Separately a national strategy for community policing was promulgated. At the request of Indonesia’s Minister for Law and Human Rights, Norway and Indonesia are planning a training project on human rights for the police force in Aceh and National Police Headquarters/ National Police Academy. We have also experienced that there is a need for gender specific policing practices, and I therefore look very much forward to contributions on this subject.

Before closing, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate again the Indonesian government on its success in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Aceh. This is a remarkable and important achievement. We are all well aware of the very significant contribution Minister Hamid Awaluddin has made to the peace process as the government's chief negotiator.

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In a globalised world, Norway and Indonesia have much more in common than they did a few years ago. We relate to many of the same political foreign policy challenges, and we are both working to promote peaceful solutions and dialogue in areas of conflict. In the field of promoting human rights the task ahead is demanding.

We have two days of discussions, debates and sharing of experiences and views ahead of us. The programme consists of a fruitful combination of field visits, plenary presentations and workshops. I am proud to head a strong Norwegian delegation, composed by enthusiastic and highly skilled professionals from government, academia and research, and NGOs. A great responsibility rests upon all of us in the endeavour to promote and protect human rights.

I am confident that all here – both Norwegian and Indonesian, both governmental and non-governmental – will make full use of the opportunities this dialogue offers.

Let us put the time to good use.

• Programme for the dialogue meeting