Indonesia’s human rights policies, a direct reflection of the nation’s Constitution, provide for freedom of the press, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of religion. These policies closely mirror Indonesia’s national laws, values, customs and traditions.

As a people whose customs have been influenced by a long-standing tradition of colonial domination and political struggle, Indonesians today are acutely aware of the meaning and importance of human rights. In this context, Indonesia is similar to many other Asian and African nations endowed with age-old and highly developed cultures, but which have not always shared the same experiences as the Western nations in the development of ideas on human rights and democracy. These nations developed different perceptions based upon different experiences regarding the relations between human beings and society and the rights of the community in relation to the rights of the individual.

Indonesians understand and appreciate the genesis of the thinking and motivation underlying present-day Western policies and views on human rights. But, Indonesia believes that at the same time, all citizens should, at the very least, expect similar understanding and appreciation of the historical formation and experiences of non-Western societies and the development of Indonesian cultural and social values and traditions. Indonesians agree that basic human rights and fundamental freedoms are of universal validity as they are embodied in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. Without question, their observance and promotion form part of Indonesia’s commitment to the United Nations Charter.

As a committed member of the United Nations and a member of the Human Rights Commission since 1991, Indonesia accepts and recognizes the universal validity of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. The government stresses, however, that there should be greater recognition of the immense complexity of the issue due to the wide diversity in the history, culture, value systems, geography and phases of development among the nations of the world. All nations should therefore be more sensitive toward this complexity.

Consistent with this view, Indonesia fully adheres to the policy in the United Nations Charter placing the promotion and protection of human rights within the context of international cooperation. A body of conventions, declarations and common understandings, developed by the United Nations beginning in 1945, reflects human rights implementing measures. Indonesia regards these understandings as representing the beginnings of a universal culture on human rights that makes international cooperation on the issue feasible.

However, as the United Nations Charter prescribes its members to do, the observance and promotion of human rights should be taken within the context of international cooperation. In this spirit, all nations should refrain from indulging in the practice of promoting unfounded accusations, engaging in self-righteous attacks and waging political campaigns under the guise of human rights advocacy.

International cooperation presumes respect for the sovereign parity of states and the national identity of peoples. Indonesia holds the view that in such international cooperation, there should be no room for unfounded accusations or interference. No country or group of countries should reserve the role of judge and jury over other countries on this critical and sensitive issue.

All nations, therefore, should abide by the conventions and understandings that have been developed and agreed upon over the years within the context of the United Nations. Their implementation, based upon individual interpretations, preferences or prejudices of certain governments, cannot be condoned.

These understandings include the recognition that there are various categories of human rights - civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Furthermore, these rights are balanced by proportionate obligations to the community, society or the nation, which also has inalienable rights. It is universally agreed that all these categories of human rights form one indivisible and integral whole and therefore cannot be addressed selectively in accordance with one’s own preference and interest.

Moreover, as former Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Indonesia’s view reflects the consensus position on human rights taken by the 108 member states of the NAM. This position is embodied in the "Jakarta Message" and the Final Documents that emanated from the Summit Conference which was held in Indonesia in 1992.