Jakarta – The Executive Office of the President with International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), and Bitung City Government signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Human Rights Festival 2024 agenda, held at Komnas HAM Office, Jakarta, Monday (25/3).
The Human Rights Festival is an annual event to promote and disseminate the enforcement and advancement of human rights implementation in Indonesia. The festival will be held in the city of Bitung, North Sulawesi, from 29-31 July 2024, carries a theme of “Advancing Democracy, Fulfilling Human Rights, and Strengthening Community Participation in State Responsibility from Regional to National”. This theme accentuates the role of the state and civil society support to actualize human rights progress in Indonesia.
Deputy in action (Plt.) V of The Executive Office of the President, Rumadi Ahmad said that this event was a momentum to reflect the 10-year journey of the festival in promoting Human Rights implementation. He affirmed the relevance of the festival, not only in the seminar activities, but also various essential agendas of human rights in daily activity.
“So that, this Festival returns to its essence of not being an event itself that is distant from the community but as part of them,” said Rumadi after the MoU signing event, at the Komnas HAM office, Monday ( 3/25).
Rumadi also said that KSP is encouraging civil society involvement, both at the national level and especially at the regional level to become a major player in this year’s Human Rights Festival. “We need to fully accommodate the initiation, movement, involvement through various forms of activities,” he explained.
At one time, the Chairman of Komnas HAM, Atnike Nova Sigiro, explained that the implementation of the festival in Bitung will be a momentum to increase awareness, as well as efforts to enhance protection and solidarity in defending human rights.
“Through the various activities presented at this festival, we hope to initiate a deeper understanding of the importance of justice, equality and respect for human dignity. Together, we make this Human Rights Festival to inspire positive change towards a more inclusive society,” said Atnike.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of INFID, Iwan Misthohizzaman, assessed that the festival is an important momentum for upholding human rights in Indonesia, especially during this election year and upcoming new national leadership with a lot of homework in the sector of promoting and resolving human rights violations. “Civil society continues to move in the field of promoting human rights and plays an active role in demanding state responsibility in enforcing human rights and democracy,” Iwan mentioned.
In addition, the city of Bitung as the host of this activity is based on the consistency and commitment of the Bitung city government in advancing human rights in recent years, and is not limited to the achievements as a city that cares about human rights in 2023.
“With the signing of the MoU today, Bitung City officially hosts the Human Rights Festival 2024. We appreciate this mandate and commited to run this agenda successfully. This festival belongs to us all,” explained the Mayor of Bitung, Maurits Mantiri.
The Human Rights Festival 2024 will be filled with various forms of activities, such as plenary discussions, parallel discussions and declarations, as well as non-conferences in the form of arts and culture performances, exhibitions, also trips to places with potential good practices related to human rights.
