STATEMENT BY HON. MS. MEUTYA HAFID CHAIR OF THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND DEFENCE COMMITTEE OF THE INDONESIAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE FIRST GLOBAL REFUGEE FORUM 17-18 DECEMBER 2019, GENÈVE, SWITZERLAND
Chair;
High Commissioner Mr. Filippo Grandi;
Excellencies, distinguished delegates,
I’m here before you as a Member of the Indonesian House of Representatives to convey the voice of the Indonesian people.
Although Indonesia is not a state party to the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol yet Indonesia has adhered to and applied the main principles of the Convention, namely: the non-refoulement; non-penalization; and non-discrimination. Indonesia has gone extra-miles – beyond our obligation and capacity – as a transit country to almost 14.000 refugees, coming from 42 countries.
We have taken the initiative to enact the Presidential Regulation in 2016 on the handling of refugee influx, including in emergency settings.
This serves as an operational guideline for multi-agencies to rescue and to help-provide safety and basic needs for refugees.
And in order to ensure the implementation of this Presidential Regulation the Indonesian government has established the National Task Force for Refugees Handling.
Furthermore, Indonesia continuously takes into account the special needs of women, children, and refugees who are ill.
One of the examples among others, is shown by providing access for refugee children to enjoy their rights to education including by giving them the opportunity to apply to Indonesian schools.
In the light of this very important Forum, the Indonesian government has also pledged, among others, to design a refugee empowerment program, and to strengthen international cooperation through dialogues with countries of origin, transit and destination on formulating durable solutions, on the basis of respective burden-sharing and shared responsibility.
Mr. Chair,
Distinguished delegates,
The effective implementation of improved global refugee governance, in my view, cannot be ensured without the support of the parliament. And here, I am pleased to inform you that the Indonesian House of Representatives fully supports the pledges made by the Government.
And I would like to call upon my fellow parliamentarians to also support the implementation of the GCR. We believe it is imperative for the parliament to work closely with the government in developing relevant policies and budget / in order to improve the lives of refugees in the country.
I would like to begin by expressing Indonesia’s appreciation to Turkey, Ethiopia, Germany, Costa Rica, Pakistan, and UNHCR for convening the first Global Refugee Forum.
This very first Global Refugee Forum plays a monumental role in re-emphasizing the implementation of countries’ responsibilities in addressing the global refugee crises.
I thank you.
