Suci Sekarwati, Jakarta – Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi will use the United Nation's Human Rights Council's annual assembly as a platform to campaign for Indonesia's entrance as the council's member for 2020-2022. The next meeting will be held from February 25 to 28 in Geneva.

Achsanul Habib, director of human rights and humanity at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that the last time Indonesia campaigned for being a member of the UN Human Rights Council was in early January 2019. The next campaign, he said, is expected to gather solid support from friendly countries, regional countries and neighbors such as Australia.

For the Asia Pacific region, Indonesia will compete with Japan, the Marshal Islands, Iran, South Korea with a total of four seats contested.

Habib is confident that Indonesia could be elected to have a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

Habib said that Indonesia has also requested support from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has about 50 member nations. Requests for support are also sent to ASEAN countries and the European Union, which have a positive view about Indonesia's role in upholding human rights.

"We still have about six months to mobilize support, including asking for support from Australia," Habib said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1178390/indonesia-to-campaign-for-membership-at-un-human-rights-council