CCRL Conference Strengthens Human Rights Commitment and Solidarity in the Law State

The Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy International Conference held on November 13-14, 2023 at the Kempinski Hotel, Jakarta, was attended by approximately 200 participants and invitees.

IL News 006/2023

Jakarta, LI News – The Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy (CCRL) International Conference with the theme “Human Dignity and Rule of Law for a Peaceful and Inclusive Society” held by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia together with Leimena Institute on November 13-14, 2023 in Jakarta is expected to further strengthen commitment and solidarity in upholding human rights in a law state.

Executive Director of Leimena Institute, Matius Ho, stated that amidst the increasing challenges to freedom, justice and peace in the world, it is the right moment to reflect again on human dignity as the foundational concept of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This conference itself was held to commemorate the 75th Human Rights Day on December 10.

“Protecting and promoting begin with respecting. Respect for human dignity also means respect for human diversity,” declared Matius when delivering his Welcome Remarks at the CCRL International Conference.

The conference held at the Kempinski Hotel, Jakarta, was attended by approximately 200 participants and invitees, consisting of academics from various countries, religious leaders, teachers who participated in the CCRL program, and at least 20 ambassadors from friendly nations, including those from the ASEAN Secretariat. The CCRL International Conference was comprised of five panel sessions and seven selected sessions involving 30 world-renowned speakers with simultaneous interpretation facilities. In addition to the participants who were invited to attend in person, this conference was also attended by 1,900 online participants via Zoom.

The Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, Yasonna H. Laoly, along with several speakers and invitees of the CCRL International Conference.

Matius adds that in a religious society, a misinformed religious understanding or lack of exposure to religious diversity can become an obstacle, even a threat, to build mutual respect. He thinks that constructive dialogues and productive collaborations that are firmly grounded and guided by the rule of law needs mutual trust among a religiously diverse society.

Therefore, equal and inclusive citizenship not only guarantees the rights but also demands responsibilities of its citizens, regardless of their religions or beliefs. Religion is also trans-national and trans-cultural. That is why the CCRL conference strives to explore the practical experiences of the role of citizens, not only from Indonesia, but also from the perspectives of other countries, especially the Southeast Asian region.

“Hopefully this conference can further strengthen our commitment and solidarity in upholding human dignity and rights within the framework of the law state,” Matius emphasized.

Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, Yasonna H. Laoly, was the main speaker in the opening session.

Multicultural and Interconnected

Meanwhile, the Minister of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of Indonesia, Yasonna H. Laoly, in his keynote speech, emphasized the importance of cross-cultural religious literacy within an increasingly multicultural and interconnected global society.

“With an increased understanding and respect for differences, members of a society can become more inclusive and harmonious. For this reason, we at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights together with Leimena Institute have collaborated on organizing training programs for teachers nationwide focusing on cross-cultural religious literacy,” Yasonna stated.

The Minister of Law and Human Rights expressed that the organization of the CCRL Conference aims to increase public awareness on the importance of religious collaboration based on mutual respect among people of different religions and beliefs.

“We place the issue of religious freedom as highly crucial because Indonesia is an incredibly diverse society,” he stated.

However, Yasonna admitted, there will always be intolerant and radical groups. In this context, the rule of law has an important role to guarantee and respect the rights of every citizen.

The Minister of Law and Human Rights engages in a question-and-answer session with the press after the opening of the CCRL International Conference.

Furthermore, the Minister of Law and Human Rights also touched on the interconnectedness between efforts to promote religious freedom and world peace. According to him, these two endeavors must progress hand in hand.

“In September 2023, the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, ratified Presidential Regulation Number 58 of 2023 concerning the Strengthening of Religious Moderation. This regulation aims to strengthen harmony and unity among religious communities in the country,” he explained.

The Director General of Human Rights, Dhahana Putra, expressed that the Indonesian nation has already grown accustomed to living side by side in diversity and a spirit of brotherhood. Nevertheless, he admitted that there is still a lot of homework to do with regards to the issue of religious tolerance in the country. The reason is, referring to the Religious Harmony Index, the country’s tolerance indicator is still at 68.72.

“This score indicates that there are still issues of intolerance, which necessitates interventions to improve the situation, such as through cross-cultural religious literacy and the strengthening of religious moderation,” he explained.

The CCRL International Conference organized by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of Indonesia and Leimena Institute received support from the International Center for Law and Religious Studies at Brigham Young University Law School, the International Religious Freedom Secretariat, and the Templeton Religion Trust.

The lineup of topics and speakers at the International Conference on Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy attracts media coverage for said conference, which will be held on July 10-11.

“In particular, the conference will also highlight the important role of education in building multi-faith collaboration. This conference follows the success of Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy training in Indonesia, which has trained more than 8,500 teachers in less than two and a half years, and has involved 25 educational and religious institutions,” Daniel stated.

The international conference will be attended by approximately 200 invited participants including government officials from ministries and agencies both at home and abroad, several ambassadors from friendly countries, academics, civil society leaders, as well as CCRL training alumni consisting of madrasa and schoolteachers.

The implementation of the International Conference on CCRL is made possible through partnerships with the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University Law School, and the Templeton Religion Trust.