VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia encourages cooperation in strengthening human rights at the 52nd UN Human Rights Council Session, Monday (27/2) in Geneva, Switzerland. This was conveyed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi through an official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

"First, take real action for humanity," she said.

According to her, wars and conflicts must be stopped because they only harm humanity. Therefore, he pushed forward a peaceful solution, including in Palestine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Ukraine.

"We must not close our eyes to the suffering of our brothers in Palestine. The incident in Huwara shows that the human rights and humanitarian situation in Palestine is getting worse," said Foreign Minister Retno.

Foreign Minister Retno also conveyed the rights of women and girls which should not be ignored, including in Afghanistan.

Regarding Myanmar, as Chair of ASEAN, Retno said, Indonesia would continue to make efforts to communicate with all relevant parties, to encourage an inclusive national dialogue.

"Second, increasing efforts to prevent human rights violations," she said.

The Foreign Minister said that strengthening the prevention aspect would contribute to stronger protection for human rights. Therefore, the state has the responsibility to ensure affirmative policies, equal access to opportunities and resources, and mechanisms to seek justice by victims.

In this case, according to Retno, the Human Rights Council can contribute through increasing national capacity and facilitating capacity building.

The Foreign Minister also underlined the importance of admitting past mistakes and human rights violations to prevent the same thing from happening in the future. Indonesia is committed to rehabilitating victims, without setting aside legal settlements.

"This year President Joko Widodo has acknowledged and regretted 12 incidents of past human rights violations," said the Foreign Minister.

The Foreign Minister also stressed that the courage to admit is crucial for better respect for human rights. And Indonesia has that courage.

"Third, strengthening the human rights architecture," she continued.

Retno Marsudi explained that the UN Human Rights Council must adapt to the latest human rights challenges and continue to improve itself.

“Imparsiality, transparency and dialogue must be the main spirit of the Human Rights Council. We must continue to protect the Human Rights Council from being politicized and used by the Human Rights Council as a tool for geopolitical rivalry," said the Foreign Minister.

According to her, mutual accusations and the application of double standards will not produce a solution. For this reason, the unity of the Human Rights Council must be put forward, not the us vs them mentality.

Retno said, Indonesia continues to strive to strengthen human rights mechanisms in the region. As Chair of ASEAN, Indonesia will strengthen the mandate of the ASEAN Human Rights Commission, the ASEAN Commission on the Protection of Women and Children, and institutionalize a regional human rights dialogue. (VOI/Andy)

Jakarta (voinews): Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi attended the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Monday (27/2) in Geneva, Switzerland. The assembly coincides with the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must be a momentum to strengthen commitment to upholding human rights, and must not divide attention to the condition of human rights in the world," said the Foreign Minister in an official statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, received Monday (27/2) in Jakarta.

Even though so far the Declaration continues to inspire transformation towards a more just, equal and inclusive world, Foreign Minister Retno conveyed the importance of close cooperation to make this happen.

“The question now is what are we going to do? Are we going to be silent and indifferent? Or are we going to work hard together and do even better?” she said.

Apart from encouraging cooperation in upholding human rights, Foreign Minister Retno also reaffirmed Indonesia's commitment to upholding human rights.

On this occasion, the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs also conveyed Indonesia's candidacy as a Member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2024-2026 period with the theme "Inclusive Partnership for Humanity." She asked for support from countries for Indonesia's candidacy.

During his visit to Geneva, the Foreign Minister also held bilateral meetings with several countries/parties, namely Norway, Belgium, Switzerland, Palestine, Finland, France, Maldives, Iran, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Apart from discussing the issue of Indonesia's candidacy as a member of the Human Rights Council, the bilateral meetings also discussed trade and investment issues, Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN, follow-up to the G20 agreement, as well as issues of mutual concern such as Myanmar, Afghanistan and Palestine. (VOI/Andy)

Rescuers recovered three more bodies on Monday, a day after a wooden sailboat carrying migrants to Europe smashed onto rocks in inclement weather off southern Italy, bringing the death toll to 62, including at least 14 children.

Many of the victims washed ashore close to where the vessel sank near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria, while some of the bodies were recovered from still-stormy seas.

Dozens of coffins were laid out in a sports hall in the neighbouring town of Crotone ahead of an eventual funeral, as local people left flowers and candles on metal railings outside to show their respect.

Local authorities said 80 people had survived the disaster, but that between 180 to 200 people were believed to have boarded the vessel when it left from Turkey, suggesting many more passengers may have perished or be missing.

The disaster has reopened a debate on migration in Europe and Italy, where the recently elected right-wing government's tough new laws for migrant rescue charities have drawn criticism from the United Nations and others.

"It is time for silence, prayer, recollection and deep meditation. But it is also a time in which we must responsibly question ourselves about this latest tragedy," said Bishop Francesco Savino from the nearby Cassano all'Jonio, a Roman Catholic diocese in Calabria.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday more than two dozen Pakistanis were believed to have been among the vessel's passengers. Italian authorities said many Afghanis and some Iranians had also been aboard the boat.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Italy by boat over the past decade, fleeing conflict and poverty back home.

The United Nations Missing Migrants Project has also registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, including more than 220 this year, making it the most dangerous migrant route in the world.

The vast majority of migrant boats set sail from North Africa, but increasing numbers have left from Turkey over the past two years, to avoid lengthy and perilous journeys through Egypt and Libya.

The boat that sank off Calabria departed from the western Turkish port of Izmir about four days ago and was spotted 74 km (46 miles) off the coast late on Saturday by a plane operated by European Union border agency Frontex.

An initial attempt to reach the vessel was thwarted by bad weather, police said.

One survivor was arrested on migrant trafficking charges on Sunday, but the Guardia di Finanza customs police said two more people were suspected of having aided the alleged smuggler.

Charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), operating on the ground, said they were assisting several people who had lost relatives in the shipwreck.

"We have cases of children who became orphans, such as a 12-year-old Afghan boy who lost his entire family, a family of nine people, including four siblings, parents and other close relatives," said Sergio Di Dato, from MSF. (Reuters)

The Australian government on Monday said it planned to overhaul its cyber security rules and set up an agency to oversee government investment in the field and help coordinate responses to hacker attacks.

The move follows a rise in cyber attacks since late last year with breaches reported by at least eight companies, including health insurer Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX) and telco Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (STEL.SI).

Current cyber security rules, government policies and regulations "are simply not at the level that we need them to be," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a meeting with industry leaders and experts.

"This is really fast moving. It's a rapidly evolving threat, and for too many years Australia has been off the pace," Albanese said.

The government will set up a coordinator for cyber security, supported by a national office within the department of home affairs, tasked with ensuring government agencies work together during cyber incidents.

The coordinator will also oversee the government's investment strategies on cyber security and help lead the response when hackers attack.

The government has published a discussion paper on a new cyber security strategy, which it aims to implement next year, and is seeking feedback on how businesses can improve their cyber security in partnership with the government.

Though the government and the private sector are undertaking critical security measures, the current rules do not ensure smooth coordination during cyber incidents, Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O'Neil said, blaming the previous government for implementing them.

"That law was bloody useless, like not worth being printed on the paper when it came to actually using it in a cyber incident," O'Neil told ABC Radio in an interview. "They're not fit for purpose at the moment, and I do think they need reform." (Reuters)