The APF held an ‘Introduction to the APF’ session with the leadership team of the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to understand the human rights priorities of the institution and explore potential areas of APF support.

During the session, held on 4 September, Komnas HAM leaders provided an overview of their current areas of focus including the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs), concerns related to land and natural resources, and the rights of marginalised groups, such as migrant workers, domestic workers, and people with disabilities.

Other ongoing priorities include the intersection of business and human rights, safeguarding freedom of religion and belief, and ensuring voting rights for all Indonesian citizens in the presidential, parliamentary and regional elections to be held in 2024. The Commission is also investigating gross human rights violations in the province of Papua.

Komnas HAM, under the leadership of Dr. Atnike Nova Sigiro since November 2022, holds A-status accreditation as of October 2022, with the next accreditation review set for 2027. The Commission's members span various backgrounds, including civil society, academia, law, Muslim organisations, women's and children's rights, and disability rights.

The meeting was also an opportunity for the APF secretariat to brief Komnas HAM leaders on the APF’s current work and support for NHRIs, including the Annual Meeting (to be held from 20-21 September in Delhi, India), the Inter-Governmental Mechanisms (IGM) Project, capacity development services, accreditation, and leadership services, such as High-Level Dialogues, Capacity Assessments and leadership outreach programs.

The APF also provided an overview of the current program of work to support human rights defenders, including the establishment of the APF Working Group on HRDs and the development of a human rights monitoring tool currently being developed in collaboration with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR).

Komnas HAM was a founding member of the APF, and signatory to the Larrakia Declaration, which established the APF in Darwin in 1996. Since then, the Commission has hosted many APF Annual Meetings as well as the historic workshop on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) which established the Yogyakarta Principles in 2006.

The APF thanks the Komnas HAM leadership team for this engagement and looks forward to continuing to collaborate with and support the Commission to fulfil its mandate to protect and promote human rights in Indonesia.

The Leadership Services program is available to all APF members. For more information, please contact Pip Dargan, Principal Adviser, Leadership Services at pipdargan@asiapacificforum.net

Date: 22 September 2023