Indonesia’s Controversial Vote Against UN Resolution on Responsibility to Protect
Indonesia voted ‘no’ on a UN resolution to include the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) on its annual agenda, aligning itself with undemocratic nations. The resolution, proposed by Croatia, received significant backing with 115 votes in favor, including from several ASEAN nations. Indonesian officials defend the vote by stating their commitment to the core principles of R2P but suggest that prior discussions have addressed its implementation.
Indonesia has aligned itself with several undemocratic nations, such as China and North Korea, by opposing a resolution from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) regarding the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). This initiative, introduced by Croatia, aims to ensure that R2P is part of the annual agenda of the UNGA and mandates the UN Secretary General to provide annual updates on the matter. During the vote held at UN headquarters in New York, the resolution garnered strong support from 115 member states, including ASEAN countries like Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, while 28 nations abstained from voting. Indonesia’s decision to vote “no,” along with 14 other nations, has raised concerns about its commitment to preventing atrocities such as genocide and war crimes. Despite this controversial vote, Febrian Ruddyard, Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry director general for multilateral affairs, clarified that the nation does not reject the principle of R2P. He noted that all UN member states had previously endorsed R2P during the 2005 World Summit. He further explained that Indonesia believes the topic has already been sufficiently discussed in context of the 2005 declaration and emphasized that the UNGA should prioritize clarifying any outstanding issues regarding its implementation. The R2P doctrine, which arose in response to catastrophic failures of the international community in the 1990s, stipulates that nations must protect their populations from severe human rights violations and mass atrocities.
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a global commitment established by member states to address the challenges posed by genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. R2P emerged from the international community’s recognition of its failures to prevent atrocities during the Rwandan genocide and the Srebrenica massacre. The aim of R2P is to ensure that countries take their obligations seriously, particularly in preventing mass violence and protecting vulnerable populations. In 2005, the United Nations endorsed R2P at the World Summit, affirming the collective responsibility of states to protect these populations effectively. The recent resolution brought to a vote at the UNGA intends to reaffirm and reintegrate R2P into the UN’s ongoing agenda and monitoring processes.
Indonesia’s vote against the UN resolution regarding R2P raises significant questions regarding its dedication to combatting severe human rights violations and preventing atrocities. While asserting that it does not oppose R2P as a concept, the Indonesian government argues that sufficient measures have already been undertaken since its establishment. This stance, however, situates Indonesia among a group of nations that have historically shown resistance to taking a definitive stand in favor of global human rights protections.
Original Source: www.thejakartapost.com
