Indonesia voted against a UN General Assembly resolution aimed at officially placing the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) on the agenda, aligning itself with states like China and North Korea. Despite this, Indonesian officials argue their disagreement is about implementation rather than the concept itself. The resolution achieved significant support from 115 member states, indicating a strong global commitment to preventing crimes against humanity.
Indonesia has aligned itself with several undemocratic nations, notably China and North Korea, by voting against a key United Nations General Assembly resolution that addresses the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). This international norm aims to prevent crimes against humanity and is critical to global humanitarian efforts. The procedural resolution, introduced by Croatia, was designed to officially include R2P in the annual UNGA agenda, with a mandate for the UN Secretary-General to provide annual updates on the topic. In a recent vote held at UN headquarters in New York, the resolution garnered overwhelming support from 115 member states, including several ASEAN countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, while 28 nations opted to abstain. Indonesia was one of 15 countries to vote “no,” prompting scrutiny of its commitment to thwarting genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and other atrocities. However, Febrian Ruddyard, the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for Multilateral Affairs, clarified that Indonesia’s objection is not to the R2P doctrine itself, noting that all UN member states had previously accepted it during the 2005 World Summit. Rather, Indonesia believes the issue has been sufficiently addressed in subsequent discussions, urging the UNGA to first resolve outstanding matters related to its implementation.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was established as a normative framework to ensure that nations are accountable for protecting their populations from mass atrocities, following the international community’s failures in handling the Rwandan genocide and the Srebrenica massacre in the 1990s. This resolution, introduced by Croatia, aims to formalize the ongoing conversation about R2P within the United Nations framework, ensuring that its principles remain a priority on the global agenda. Indonesia’s participation in this vote raised concerns regarding its stance on global humanitarian principles, especially given its historical commitment to human rights and protection.
In conclusion, Indonesia’s decision to vote against the R2P resolution at the UN General Assembly has sparked significant debate about its commitment to halting serious crimes against humanity. While officials assert that their opposition does not reflect a rejection of R2P itself, it signals a complex stance on international accountability and the implementation of human rights norms. The overwhelming support for the resolution by the majority of UN member states highlights a broader consensus on the importance of R2P in safeguarding populations globally.
Original Source: www.thejakartapost.com
