National Workshop on Indigenous and Tribal People in Indonesia

The workshop aims to provide a forum to share information on indigenous and tribal rights as well as relevant mechanisms for protection.

Background

With 1,072 different ethnic groups, including 11 ethnic groups with a population of over one million people, Indonesia is one of the world’s most culturally diverse nations. Despite the formal acknowledgement of indigenous people’s rights in the 1945 Indonesian Constitution, there is still no overarching national law to protect indigenous and tribal people’s rights in Indonesia.

Given the lack of legal protection for indigenous people’s rights, the ILO Jakarta Office has teamed up with the Indonesian National Secretariat for Indigenous People and the National Commission of Human Rights to host a national workshop on the recognition of indigenous and tribal people in Indonesia. This workshop will provide recommendations to strengthen national protection and respect for indigenous and tribal people’s rights.

The past Indonesian “one size fit for all” national policies ignored the ethnic diversity of it its citizens. This has been most apparent in the development of regional political institutions and socio-economic landscapes that marginalize Indonesian indigenous and tribal people.

Following political reforms in 1999, some efforts have been made by the Indonesian government to strengthen protections for indigenous and tribal people and to develop national mechanisms that reflect international standards. The government has endorsed various international human rights standards, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Reflecting this progress, the National Secretariat on Indonesian Indigenous People was established and has actively worked in collaboration with the National Commission for Human Rights, the Constitutional Supreme Court and other relevant ministerial offices to promote and sustain public policy developments that secure the rights of indigenous and tribal people in Indonesia.

In a statement commemorating the 2006 International Day for Indigenous People, the President of the Republic Indonesia delivered a public statement that recognised the importance of preparing a national regulatory framework to protect indigenous and tribal people’s rights. The House of Regional Representatives (DPD) subsequently prepared a bill on the Protection of Indigenous People’s Rights. This Bill was recently finalised and will be submitted to Parliament later this year.

The 1989 ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal People promotes the rights of Indigenous people to land, employment, training and social security, education. It also encourages cooperation across borders with other indigenous groups. This Convention was discussed at a national workshop held by the Indonesian Constitutional Court and the ILO in 2007.

A series of ministerial meetings in 2009 have indicated the Government is committed to strengthening national legal protection for indigenous and tribal people and to recognising their cultural and ethnic diversity. However, the Government does not feel it is currently in a position to ratify ILO Convention 169.

In light of these challenges, the workshop aims to provide a forum to share information on indigenous and tribal rights as well as relevant mechanisms for protection. The workshop will facilitate the development of a framework for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions in the draft national law with a view to progressively strengthen the recognition and protection of indigenous and tribal people in Indonesia.

Theme

Implement and strengthen national recognition of the rights of indigenous and tribal people in Indonesia based on the 1945 Republic of Indonesia constitution to better reflect international standards.

Objective

  • To build awareness on the importance of protecting indigenous people’s rights and to share best practices; and
  • To appreciate and prepare recommendations for effective implementation of the draft national law on the Protection of Indigenous People’s Rights as promulgated by the DPD.

Participants

150 participants from: government, organizations for indigenous people from various regions, universities, NGOs and international organizations, political parties and parliament members are expected to attend the workshop