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Article

25 Jun 2017

Author:
FIHRRST

Indonesia publishes National Action Plan on business & human rights; first to launch NAP among Asian countries

"Indonesia Launches National Action Plan on Business & Human Rights," 16 June 2017

...Indonesia joined...fourteen other nations who had previously published a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP).

...The unveiling marked the next stage in a process that had begun in September 2014 under the prime steerage of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM)... This is not an unusual situation, as Komnas HAM chair, Nur Kholis noted in his welcoming address, as a number of countries have designated formulation of the National Action Plan to their national Human Rights Commission.

...Indonesia is the first country in ASEAN [indeed, Asia] to actually join those that have published their NAP on business and human rights... 

...The National Action Plan now provides a requirement for ministries, institutions and local governments to play their part within their jurisdiction, while further legislation will come at the presidential level.

...Wahyu Wagiman, Executive Director of ELSAM was insistent that the NAP would not only promote human rights and reduce the rate of human rights violations, but also act as a guideline for the government to enact coherent legislation that supports implementation of the Guiding Principles, particularly in the area of the remediation mechanism as this has yet to work optimally in Indonesia.

In closing...we return to the words of Marzuki Darusman, chair of FIHRRST, who traced the path from the days when corporate social responsibility and the environment were the main concerns and how they have since been enveloped within human rights. Moreover, it was not lost on him that the government has adhered to the "requirements" rather than the "voluntary" principle. Looking forward, it is his belief that “respect for human rights by corporations will, in the near future, become the new norm in Indonesia.”

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