United Nations A/69/375 Distr.: General 10 September 2014 Original: English General Assembly Sixty-ninth session Item 113 (c) of the provisional agenda* Elections to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs and other elections: election of fifteen members of the Human Rights Council Note verbale dated 2 July 2014 from the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly The Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations presents its compliments to the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations and has the honour to recall that the Government of Indonesia has decided to present its candidature to the Human Rights Council for the term 2015 -2017 at the elections to be held in October 2014. In that regard, the Permanent Mission of Indonesia has the honour to transmit an aide-memoire containing the voluntary pledges and commitments by Indonesia, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 60/251 (see annex). * A/69/150. 14-60747 (E) *1460747* 170914 A/69/375 Annex to the note verbale dated 2 July 2014 from the Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the General Assembly Candidature of Indonesia to the Human Rights Council, 2015-2017 Voluntary pledges and commitments by Indonesia 1. In the spirit of contributing further to the global promotion and protection of human rights, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia presents its candidature for re-election to the Human Rights Council for the period 2015 -2017 at the elections to be held during the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly in New York in October 2014. 2. Indonesia's 1945 Constitution mandates the Government of Indonesia to actively advance international peace and justice, as well as to promote and protect human rights. Indonesia recognizes that human rights are universal, indivisible, interrelated and interdependent and that human rights and civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights, must be treated globally in a fa ir and equal manner, in the same footing and with the same emphasis. 3. Indonesia consistently asserts that global promotion and protection of human rights should always be carried out through constructive dialogue and international cooperation, which is aimed at strengthening the capacity of States to comply with their human rights obligations. Indonesia also steadfastly holds the view that advancing the cause of human rights worldwide should be pursued on the basis of principles of objectivity, impartiality, non-selectivity and the elimination of double standards and politicization. 4. Indonesia was a founding member of the Human Rights Council in 2006 -2007 and was re-elected in 2007-2010 and 2011-2014, in which Indonesia received the majority of votes (184 of 191). During its membership in the Human Rights Council, Indonesia played an active and constructive role, including in the institutional development of the Council. 5. As part of Indonesia's pledges and commitments to the Human Rights Council, Indonesia volunteered to be one of the first countries to be reviewed in the universal periodic review process in April 2008. Indonesia has been faithfully implementing most of the accepted recommendations put forward in its universal periodic review, including its voluntary commitments. Indonesia underwent the second cycle of the review in May 2012. Furthermore, Indonesia has contributed actively in formulating the technical modalities of the universal periodic review process. Indonesia has also cooperated with the human rights treaty bodies by submitting its periodic reports relating to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as its common core document. 6. Indonesia has actively joined and become part of the core group of several initiatives in the Council, including on the issues of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, enhancement of technical cooperation and capacity-building in the field of human rights, equal political participation and the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights. Indonesia has also continued its 2/5 14-60747 A/69/375 cooperation with the Human Rights Council special procedures mandate-holders, including by receiving a recent visit from the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living and on the right to non-discrimination in that context in May 2013. 7. In a larger context, Indonesia continues to strengthen its efforts to further promote and protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people. Such efforts are guided by five-yearly national human rights action plans as mandated by the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Indonesia continues to adopt this approach and is currently implementing the third phase of its national human rights action plan, involving 505 national and subnational committees. 8. Indonesia is a party to eight core international human rights instruments, two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and all core human rights conventions of the International Labour Organization. Indonesia has achieved significant progress in the process of ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Indonesian national legislation and regulations are harmonized in accordance with those instruments. The implementation of those ratified instruments is integrated further with Indonesia's national development as well as linked to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. 9. To further strengthen its capacity on the promotion and protection of human rights, Indonesia has also empowered various machineries, including national human rights institutions. The capacity of central and local authorities is also being strengthened. In the spirit of partnership, the Government of Indonesia has actively engaged civil society organizations in the collective efforts to promote and protect human rights. 10. As the third largest democracy with the world's largest Muslim population, and underpinned by the principle of religious freedom and tolerance, Indonesia is living proof that democracy and Islam can coexist peacefully, harmoniously and productively. Indonesia also continues to actively promote genuine dialogue to advance human rights causes, including on religious freedom and tolerance, and to broaden understanding among civilizations, cultures and religions through various bilateral, regional and interregional initiatives, including the Bali Democracy Forum, the Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogues, the International Conference of Islamic Scholars and the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership Ministerial Conference on Capacity-Building for Palestine. 11. Indonesia has contributed to and will continue to play a leading role in the efforts to advance human rights causes in the region. Indonesia has played an instrumental role in transforming the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) into a rules-based organization that respects the principles of democracy, fundamental freedoms and the promotion and protection of human rights as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter adopted in 2007. In the same vein, Indonesia is a strong proponent for an effective ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. Indonesia initiated a human rights dialogue with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights in June 2013 to promote the practice of experience-sharing on human rights promotion and protection, with a view to strengthening the mandate of the Commission. 14-60747 3/5 A/69/375 12. Indonesia has also contributed to the endeavours to promote and protect human rights within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, including through the Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights and the Non-Aligned Movement. 13. Indonesia will continue its active and constructive engagement in the promotion of universal respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms based on universality, indivisibility, non-selectivity, impartiality, interdependence and interrelationship, which includes the following pledges and commitments: At the national level: · As part of the national agenda for the promotion and protection of human rights in Indonesia, the Government of Indonesia will continue to implement its national plan of action on human rights. · Indonesia will continue to strengthen the human rights machineries at the national, provincial, district and municipal levels. · Indonesia continues to make progress in implementing its human rights laws and regulations, improving the level of coordination and synergy among Government authorities, strengthening legislative frameworks, and strengthening human rights mainstreaming in the policymaking process at all levels. · Indonesia continues to strengthen its partnerships with various stakeholders, including national human rights institutions and civil society groups , in the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. · Indonesia will continue to step up its national effort s and internal coordination towards ratification of some remaining key international human rights treaties. At the regional and bilateral levels: · Indonesia will continue to strengthen the work of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights for the promotion and protection of human rights in the region, as well as of other relevant thematic ASEAN human rights commissions, such as the ASEAN Commission on Women and Children. · Indonesia will continue to promote democratic ideals and to bridge the gaps of political development in Asia by advancing dialogue and practical cooperation, especially through the Bali Democracy Forum -- an inclusive and open forum for countries in the region that Indonesia initiated in 2008. · Indonesia will continue to support and contribute to the efforts within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights in its member countries. · Indonesia will continue to strengthen and broaden the scope of its bilateral human rights cooperation, dialogue and consultations. At the international level: · Indonesia will continue to work and cooperate with the United N ations human rights mechanisms. · Indonesia will also continue to enhance its endeavours to ensure that all human rights, not only civil and political rights, but also economic, social and cultural 4/5 14-60747 A/69/375 rights, as well as the right to development, are given eq ual emphasis in the work of the Human Rights Council. · Indonesia will play a more active role in the promotion of dialogue on human rights and interfaith cooperation at the international and multilateral levels. · Indonesia will continue to cooperate with other Member States in order to mainstream human rights in the work of the United Nations. · Indonesia will continue and strengthen its meaningful cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 14-60747 5/5