As a people who struggled under colonial rule for more than 350 years, Indonesians know too well the true meaning of human rights. In any discussion on the subject, they readily point out that Indonesia was born of a struggle for the most fundamental of human rights - the right to be free. And that includes not only the right to political freedom, but the right to be free from poverty, ignorance, social injustice and economic underdevelopment.

Each country has distinct characteristics ranging from cultural traditions to geography that shape the way in which governments are led, policies are formulated, laws are enforced and rights are protected. Indonesia is no exception. It has created a system of government, built upon a constitution, that operates in the unique context of this island nation. It is a system committed to the advancement of human rights, economic freedoms and political diversity.

As a conscientious member of the United Nations and, since 1991, a member of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, Indonesia accepts and recognizes the universal validity of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. It believes that if human rights are to be universally enhanced and approached in the spirit of cooperation envisioned in the United Nations Charter, the use of human rights to pursue political ends must be rejected.

While Indonesia is committed to the protection and promotion of human rights, it recognizes that its record is not perfect indeed, no nation’s is but it is doing all it can to take legal action against violations, no matter who is responsible, and to address the root causes and make changes to ensure that violations do not recur.

As the United Nations rightly encourages us to do, the promotion and observation of human rights should be placed within the context of international cooperation. And, international cooperation presupposes a basic condition of respect for the sovereignty of states and the national identity of peoples. To understand the evolution of human rights in Indonesia, one must truly understand the diversity that comprises the country and the rapid development and progress that have improved the human rights of all of the people of Indonesia. This publication seeks to support that understanding and to highlight the efforts of the Government of Indonesia to promote and protect all of the rights of its citizens.

Indonesia’s political and economic development has been influenced by its location at the crossroads of important historical trade routes connecting the Middle East and Asia. Formerly known as the Netherlands East Indies, Indonesia proclaimed its independence from the Netherlands in 1945 and adopted a constitution.

The Republic of Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation, is a sprawling archipelago of more than 17,500 islands extending over 5,000 kilometers across the equator, between Malaysia and the Philippines to the north and Australia to the south.

The country is divided into 27 provinces, including Jakarta, the capital and largest city, situated on the northern coast of West Java. Indonesia’s population reached 200 million at the beginning of 1997.

Indonesia’s geography, natural resources and economic and trade policies have enabled the country to sustain strong, long-term economic growth. Manufacturing has grown rapidly in recent years, and since 1991, has been Indonesia’s major economic sector, followed by agriculture. The third largest economic sector is wholesale and retail trade. Mining and quarrying constitute the fourth largest economic sector.

Indonesia ranks 15^th among world oil producers, and eighth among the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members. Indonesia is the only Asian OPEC nation. Indonesia is also the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), accounting for over 40 percent of the world market and is the world’s seventh largest producer of natural gas. Indonesia’s major export markets for crude oil are Japan and the United States.

In the mining sector - in addition to crude oil and liquefied natural gas - Indonesia exports significant quantities of copper ore, nickel matte, coal and aluminium. Significant deposits of gold have also been discovered on several Indonesian islands. Indonesia is also the world’s largest tin producer, recently surpassing Brazil and Malaysia. Mining exports accounted for almost eight percent of total exports in 1995, more than five times the $503 million or two percent value of total exports in 1990.

Since 1983, the Government of Indonesia has carried out a series of broad measures aimed at reducing its reliance on oil revenues through the development of a more diversified and competitive economy. The Government continues to take measures to reform the economy, promote investment, increase non-oil exports and expand the tourism industry and capital markets. The economy has responded well, with strong growth in non-oil exports. In 1984) oil and gas contributed up to 80 percent of export earnings and 70 percent of government revenues. By 1995, these figures were cut to 23 and 19 percent, respectively. In addition, the value of approved foreign investment has increased significantly, reaching $40 billion in 1995, four times that of 1992.

In manufactured and industrial exports, Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of plywood, with annual sales of over $3.46 billion; a major producer of textiles and apparel, with annual sales of $6.2 billion; and a growing exporter of footwear and electric apparatus, with rapidly growing annual sales of $4 billion. Other products include furniture, cement, fertilizer, steel and glassware. Indonesia is the world’s second-largest producer of rubber, the third-largest producer of coffee, the leading single source of rattan, and a major producer of palm oil, spices and essential oils. Through the introduction of new rice strains and the Government’s efforts at improving and expanding irrigation systems, Indonesia, which in 1975 was the world’s largest importer of rice, became a net exporter in 1984.

In the high technology arena, Indonesia has the most sophisticated aircraft industry in Southeast Asia. Indonesian Aircraft Industries, produces small, fixed-wing aircraft that are sold to buyers around the world. Other aviation exports include aircraft parts, helicopters and engines. Besides the aircraft industry, Indonesia has a growing range of automotive and electronic production capabilities.

Indonesia is embarking on an ambitious program to expand and modernize its telecommunications network and will install at least five million new lines by the end of its current five-year economic plan, Repelita VI. In addition, Indonesia will develop about 600,000 cellular lines, expected to be in operation by the end of the decade. Electronic goods are manufactured for domestic as well as export markets.

Indonesia plays an important role in global affairs while also embracing its responsibility to its millions of citizens whose primary right is an opportunity to continue improving their quality of life and that of future generations. Indonesia’s principal trading partners include Japan, the United States, members of the European Union and the other nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN has been extremely successful in its efforts to promote economic, social, cultural and scientific relations between its members.

Indonesia is also fully committed to its obligations to the World Trade Organization and that group’s goal of encouraging an open and fair multilateral trading system and transparent laws and regulations governing national economies. Indonesia’s commitment to a global economy is also reflected in its leadership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (APEC), a grouping of Pacific Rim countries. As host of the second Leader’s meeting, Indonesia was able to promote agreement on the Bogor Declaration, which aims to establish free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region by the beginning of the 21^st Century.

Politically, Indonesia has adopted an increasingly important international role. It co-chaired the Cambodian peace process, and as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) chartered a course for that organization which aims to move from the traditionally confrontational North/South divisiveness to mutually beneficial cooperation. Indonesia supports the Middle East Peace Process and has played a vital role in United Nations peacekeeping operations, including those following the Arab-Israeli War, the Vietnam War and more recently, in Bosnia and Somalia. Indonesia has also taken the lead in maintaining regional stability, including participating in the ASEAN Regional Forum, which focuses on security; brokering a peace agreement between the Philippine Government and the Moro National Liberation Front, ending decades-long conflict there; and as part of efforts to support nuclear non-proliferation, contributing to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO).

The Government of Indonesia has emphasized education as an important factor in social and economic development. As a result of the Government’s efforts in mass education, with expenditures representing between 12 and 18 percent of the country’s annual budget, the literacy rate of the population has increased steadily. According to estimates following the October 1990 census, the literacy rate of the urban population is 90.5 percent and that of the rural population is 77.4 percent.

The Indonesian Government as well as local communities operate health facilities throughout the country. Recent figures indicate that Indonesia has approximately 1,700 hospitals with a total of 121,700 hospital beds. In addition, there are some 27,800 community health centers and approximately 27,900 practicing doctors in Indonesia. The average life expectancy in Indonesia has risen dramatically, from 41 years in 1965 to 63 years in 1994, while infant mortality rates have plummeted.

Indonesia has implemented an extremely successful National Family Planning Program, a voluntary plan based on education, health awareness, community involvement and contraceptive choice. The program stresses the benefits of limiting family size to two children. It has been one of the most effective of its kind in the world and has helped ease the burden of population growth on the country’s developing economy.