VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Business and human rights issues are one of the new issues related to the implementation of human rights globally. The issue has become a concern of many countries around the world after the United Nations passed the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs on B & HR) in 2011. This guide becomes the reference of many countries around the world in formulating policies related to business and human rights. However, in addition to guiding these principles, the state should look at how the characteristics of business actors operating in the country. This was conveyed by the Director General of Multilateral Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard in his speech at the opening of Regional Workshop on Business and Human Rights in Jakarta, February 5^th. The two-day workshop was the initiation of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the European Union (EU), the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), and the Indonesia Global Compact Network.

"Every country has its characteristics that need to be carefully scrutinized and certainly become the factor in the formulation of business and human rights policy. Indonesia for example, micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs are the majority of economic actors in the country. In addition there are alsostate-owned enterprises that certainly havetheir own characteristics. Therefore, dissemination and enhancement of undestanding among stakeholders are important," Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard said.

Ruddyard added that the growth of industrial and investment sectors in Southeast Asia is now one of the factors driving countries in the region to formulate policies related to business and human rights. Indonesia is a country that pioneers the launching of business and human rights policies through the National Business Action Plan and Human Rights initiated by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) in cooperation with the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) in 2016./// (VOI/Rezha/AHM)

President Joko Widodo asked the National Committee on Sharia Finance to take measures in developing the high potential of sharia economy in Indonesia. On opening of the Plenary Meeting of the Committee on Monday at the Presidential Office in Jakarta, the President said the development of Sharia economic potential should be aimed at becoming the main driver of the national economy. In addition, according to him, the development of sharia financial industry should also be aimed at encouraging productive development. The President also hopes the National Committee of Sharia Finance to expand the Islamic Micro Finance Institution at boarding schools in Indonesia. In addition, the President also highlighted the importance of zakat and waqf management reform to be able to overcome the poverty and to suppress inequality.

"I want to emphasize that in the development of sharia economy we should not only become the target market and industrial products of other countries and consumers. With the huge market potential in our country, we must be the main driver of sharia economy. In addition, the development of Islamic finance industry must be really beneficial for productive things including supporting efforts to reduce poverty in order to suppress the number of inequality" the President said.

As a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia has enormous potential to develop the financial and economic sectors of sharia. President Joko Widodo mentioned that in the sharia financial industry sector, sharia banking assets continue to increase in 2017, reaching 435 trillion rupiah or about 5.8 percent of the total banking assets of Indonesia. And so does the syariah capital market where the market share of Sukuk Indonesia reached 19 percent of all sukuk published by various countries.

In addition, total assets of the non-bank Islamic financial industry have also doubled in the last 5 years. According to the President, Indonesia also has enormous potential in collecting religious social funds, such as pilgrim funds, zakat funds, waqf funds, as well as funds of infaq and alms. Some sectors of Islamic economics that can be developed include the fashion industry, Muslim fashion, halal food industry, pharmaceutical industry and also the tourism sector./// (VOI/Andy/AHM)

Human rights violations on Rohingya ethnic group in Rakhine, Myanmar are highlighted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN) at the Jakarta International Conversation on Human Rights held by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta on Monday 5/2). In his remarks, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra`ad al Hussein said genocide and ethnic cleansing are likely to have taken place in Rakhine, Myanmar. The statement is based on the direct testimony of the refugees.

"The atrocities recounted by the refugees, who constitute well over half the Rohingya living in northern Rakhine, include brutal killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, atrocious sexual violence, and destruction of homes and livelihoods. Although any definitive finding should be made by an appropriate tribunal, my Office considers that acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing may have occurred," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra`ad al Hussein said

Zeid Ra`ad al Hussein added that in addition to violating the Rohingya ethnicity in Rakhine, the Government of Myanmar also refused to grant citizenship, legal status and birth certificates to the Rohingya in Rakhine which has implications for the loss of their rights as citizens of Myanmar. According to him, this humanitarian crisis is very serious and impact on the security of Southeast Asia region. Therefore, he hopes the Government of Myanmar can solve this crisis by focusing on the socio-economic development plan in Rakhine. ///(VOI/REZHA/AHM)