FOREIGN MINISTER RAISES BALI DEMOCRACY FORUM IN UN HUMAN RIGHTS MEETING

London, March 5 (ANTARA) - Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda explained the success of the Bali Democracy Forum held in December last year as the first intergovernmental forum in Asia discussing democracy.

The minister invited participants of the seventh High Level Segment session of the UN Human Rights Council to get engaged in the forum, a release of the Indonesian permanent representative in Geneve said on Wednesday.
The seventh session of High Level Segment of UN Human Rights Council this year was officially opened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, it said.
Wirajuda in his speech at the meeting expressed optimism about the establishment of a Human Rights Council in 2006 which will encourage UN member countries to take part in institutional building of the UN Human Right Council to enable it to play a key role in protecting and developing human rights in the world.
To that end, the minister called on the council to always improve the principles of cooperation and dialogue in efforts to develop and protect the human rights through positive and constructive cooperation between the human rights council and human rights commission.
In addition, the UN Human Rights Council also constituted the right forum for an exchange of views between the developed and developing countries through partnership dialogue and technical cooperation.
In the context of human rights, Wirajuda stressed that Indonesia would always play an active role in pushing the process of institutional building of the UN Human Rights Council.
As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Indonesia is currently in the process of universal periodic review, a process of human rights reporting mechanism of the all UN member countries as already stipulated in Resolution 5/1 of the UN Human Rights Council.
Furthermore, the Indonesian government in 2007 had invited special rapporteur for human rights defence Ms Huna Jilani and special rapporteur on torture Manfred Nowak to directly watch the situation and condition of the human rights situation in Indonesia under their respective mandates.
Indonesia respected the two special rapporteurs and hoped that the inputs they will gain will help the government's effort develop the condition of human rights in this country.