Utenriksministerens åpningsinnlegg under den 8. runden av menneskerettsdialogen mellom Indonesia og Norge

The Minister’s talking points
(Check against delivery).

Minister Hassan Wirajuda,
Director General Retno Marsudi,
Director General Harkristuti Harkrisnowo,
Secretary General Bambang Darmono,
Ambassadors,
Ladies and gentlemen,

• Welcome to Oslo and to the 8th round of the Indonesia–Norway Human Rights Dialogue.
• A special welcome to my dear colleague, Minister Wirajuda – a colleague I consider a friend, and who has demonstrated a personal will to follow up and deepen our bilateral relations. I highly appreciate your willingness to highlight the role of this dialogue by taking the long journey yourself – even in the midst of an election period. In a few weeks I enter an election campaign myself, so I can well imagine that a great many people would rather want to see you in Indonesia.
• So I interpret your decision to come to Norway as yet another sign of your personal as well as your Government’s commitment to our dialogue.
• Norway greatly values our longstanding cooperation with Indonesia on human rights. And I appreciate very much this opportunity to meet again at political level. I look forward to good and frank discussions on a range of human rights issues.
• I would like to remind you all of the successful Global Inter-Media Dialogue, which was initiated by Indonesia after the cartoon controversy. Through a series of dialogue meetings, Norway and Indonesia have together trained a spotlight on tolerance and freedom of expression, on the role of the media and its responsibilities.
• The Global Inter-Media Dialogue gave rise to a wide array of ongoing projects involving media representatives in different countries, including Indonesia and Norway.
• Later today we will together sign a Letter of Intent that reflects our expanded cooperation and joint efforts in strengthening democracy universally. On behalf of the Norwegian Government, I would welcome a further increase of joint projects between our two countries.
• Basically, without tolerance and freedom of expression there can be no democracy, and without true democracy, tolerance and freedom will have difficulty surviving.
• Another important reason for Norway’s strong commitment to universal fulfilment of the right to freedom of expression is that without it there can be no true communication and – thus – no true understanding.
• Last week, I took part in the Durban Review Conference in Geneva (the UN follow-up conference to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa in 2001). In my address, I emphasised that the only way we can make real progress on critical issues such as racism, disarmament and non-proliferation, climate change, and poverty is to come together and seek common ground.
• Principled dialogue is the only way forward. The alternative is monologue. That will take us nowhere.
• So this is our starting point. This is the basis for our bilateral human rights dialogues, which we conduct with three countries: Indonesia, Vietnam and China. We benefit from them all, we learn and we hope that we can contribute.
• Dialogue provides a platform for talking about topics of common interest and for investigating common – as well as differing – views and perceptions of issues of great relevance to people in both our nations.
• The format of our bilateral dialogue with Indonesia is unique:

First. It includes consultations at political level, a comprehensive exchange of views at expert level, and concrete cooperation projects in the field.

Second. It also includes the extensive, committed, well-informed and knowledgeable participation of civil society in both our countries.

• We value the contact between our countries at academic and official level. And we value our discussions on human rights.
• And as we know – talking about human rights is not enough.
• Action is required, and this is precisely why practical cooperation is such an important part of our bilateral human rights dialogue.
• I want to underline my high regard for the important work the members of our delegations to the Human Rights Dialogue do. We all have a common aim and aspiration: to change and improve the human rights situation in our countries. Most of you are working full time on human rights issues. Some of you are involved in concrete cooperation projects. You are truly agents of change.
• In all states in the world, including Indonesia and Norway, there is a gap between the promises and obligations made in international arenas and ratified in international conventions and the reality on the ground.
• The annual Human Rights Dialogue is seeking to make this gap smaller. Both our countries aim to implement fully national and international legislation on human rights.
• This dialogue meeting is an arena for developing creative ideas and new areas of cooperation in this field. I am confident that you will make effective use of these three days in Oslo to this end. We have still many challenges to address.
• We wish to share with you our experience, including the shortcomings of our own system. We hope that, by being open about the need for improvements in the human rights situation in our country, we will encourage a fruitful exchange of knowledge and experience.
• There are three topics on the agenda for our dialogue this year:

(first) human rights and the armed forces,

(second) interfaith dialogue and the culture of tolerance,

and (third) the promotion and protection of the rights of children in conflict with the law.

• These topics will be presented in the plenary and then dealt with more thoroughly in the working groups.
• Let me make a few preliminary comments on these issues:
• First, I am very pleased that we will be continuing our discussions on human rights in the armed forces.
• Prominent members of the Indonesian National Army are already taking part in this dialogue and have had in-depth discussions with their Norwegian colleagues on how international humanitarian law should be practised in the field.
• The Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, which is part of the University of Oslo, is engaged in project activities with many of the major human rights institutions in Indonesia, such as the Directorate General for Human Rights Protection, Komnas HAM, the Attorney General’s Office and several university human rights centres.
• Indonesia and Norway, like most democratic states, seek to maintain a distinction between external defence and internal security and law enforcement. All democratic countries are aware of the importance of strict regulations that determine when force should be used and who is responsible in a specific situation.
• Indonesia separated the police and military in 1999. In Norway, military units may operate under police command, and command may be transferred between police authorities and the military during a given operation.
• The question of where the line goes between internal security and law enforcement is relevant to both our countries, and this is also on our agenda this year.
• Our second topic, interfaith dialogue and the culture of tolerance, has been the subject of lively public debates in both Indonesia and Norway over the last year. In societies with a plurality of religions, both the Government and civil society are aware of the importance of tolerance and mutual respect.
• At the same time, protecting religious minorities entails many challenges.
• Both our countries are democracies bent on respecting universal human rights. Freedom of religion or belief, as codified in legally binding international human rights instruments, applies to every human being, everywhere.
• States have the primary responsibility for ensuring that these instruments are complied with. Here too, I believe we can learn from each other’s experience and discuss how to promote human rights even better in the future.
• The third topic for this year’s dialogue is children’s rights.
• This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention – to which both Indonesia and Norway are parties – enjoys almost universal ratification. It emphasises that children have rights and that they should be heard and given the possibility of meaningful participation.
• We need to see children as legitimate participants in democratic processes – with their own ideas and contributions to how issues impacting on their lives can be addressed.
• We are happy to have UNICEF with us in this area where, both our countries are striving for improvements.
• Among the issues we look forward to discussing in this field are the juvenile justice system and how to meet the special needs of children in conflict with the law, how to prevent children from getting in conflict with the law in the first place, and how to find alternatives to placing them in institutions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

• Human rights form the basis of what I often call the Norwegian policy of engagement.

We are working to abolish death penalty globally.

We are promoting freedom of expression and the protection of human rights defenders.

• The UN is an important platform in this work. I have underlined the importance Norway attaches to open and transparent discussions on core issues. No forum is better suited to setting the international human rights agenda than the UN. This is why we took active part in the preparations for the Durban Review Conference.
• I wish to stress the need I see for concerted action to defend and promote the UN platform. We see it coming under attack from various circles. We – Indonesia and Norway - should deepen our dialogue in Geneva and in New York – as well as between Jakarta and Oslo – in order to support the integrity of the UN.
• And this is why we have put forward our candidature for the Human Rights Council for the period 2009 – 2012. We see membership of the Human Rights Council as an opportunity to take active part in shaping an international human rights policy, which is so urgently needed. We see this as a responsibility – the responsibility to contribute to efforts to close the gap between international norms and implementation on the ground.
• I would like to take this opportunity to extend my appreciation of Indonesia’s promised support at the election in May.
• In conclusion, Norway greatly values this opportunity to work with Indonesia on issues of common concern. Our two nations already enjoy excellent bilateral relations, which continue to grow stronger.
• Human rights are in focus today and constitute a cornerstone in our cooperation: a broad cooperation that covers energy, climate change, the environment, trade, peace and democracy building, health and the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals.
• During our working lunch later today, Mr Wirajuda and I will discuss the possibility of extending this cooperation even further.
• In addition to strengthening human rights in both our countries, our human rights dialogue also enhances our bilateral relations and our mutual understanding. We are facing different situations and challenges. However, we share a common wish to promote human rights and the rule of law.
• Let us continue to work together, continue to advance the cause of human rights in our countries.

Thank you. Terima kasih.