Network member Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) has written in the Jakarta Post about the need for Indonesia’s new President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to make access to justice a development priority.
Alvon Palma, Chairperson of YLBHI writes: “Jokowi’s predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, deserves acknowledgement for his impressive achievements in international diplomacy, particularly on global development issues. Yudhoyono won widespread respect for his extraordinary role in the debate over the new set of development goals to succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expire next year.
Jokowi must build on SBY’s foundation and go far beyond it — in particular by placing human rights, justice and the rule of law at the heart of the development agenda.
Only with access to justice can we make development more equitable and particularly help to distribute the benefits of economic success to the underprivileged. As such, access to justice is an indispensable part of future development goals. It should be a priority for the state as part of its obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights and to promote political stability.”
Read the full OpEd on the Jakarta Post website.