Komnas Perempuan Encourages DPR To Prioritize Bill On Indigenous Peoples

Illustration of the Komnas Perempuan Building in Jakarta. (doc. Setkab)

JAKARTA - Komnas Perempuan encourages the DPR to prioritize the Bill on Indigenous Law Communities to present legal products to protect the rights of indigenous peoples.

"Komnas Perempuan calls for the DPR RI to immediately ratify the Bill on Indigenous Law Communities as the legal umbrella for protection, fulfillment, and restoration of the rights of indigenous peoples as mandated by the constitution," said Komnas Perempuan Chairman Andy Yentriyani in Jakarta, Wednesday, July 26, quoted by Antara.

This is in accordance with the conclusions of the 16th session of Expert Mechanism on the Right of Indigeneous Peoples (EMRIP) at the United Nations Headquarters (UN) in Geneva, 17-22 July 2023.

In that conclusion, the United Nations asks countries to immediately develop comprehensive protection efforts for indigenous / indigenous peoples in ensuring true sustainable development.

According to him, the Indonesian government needs to be more proactive in ensuring guarantees for the protection of indigenous peoples, both through legislation and its implementation at home and through foreign political approaches.

He said the basis for the principle in protecting indigenous / indigenous peoples refers to the Declaration of Original Human Rights (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indiginous Peoples / UnRIP) in 2007.

Meanwhile, the use of the word indigenous has been prohibited based on Presidential Instruction Number 26 of 1998 and Law Number 40 of 2008 concerning the Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination.

Komnas Perempuan also asked the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to reflect on the implementation of the Cultural Advancement Law.

According to him, the promotion of culture is not enough in terms of protecting cultural objects, but the main thing is protection, recognition, and fulfillment of the rights of indigenous peoples as the main subject of nurses and conservation of cultural objects.

"So that the Indonesian government continues to develop leadership in the promotion of human rights in the international arena, including with more active and substantive involvement in encouraging the implementation of UNRIP by UN member countries," he said.