Jakarta Declaration to promote and protect Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Southeast Asia

We, the members and former members of Parliaments from Southeast Asia gathered for the Parliamentarians Regional Conference in Southeast Asia 2024: Promoting and Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief in Jakarta on 25 August 2024. 

MINDFUL that while Southeast Asia is blessed with a remarkable religious and cultural diversity, it also presents a complex landscape when it comes to the protection and promotion of the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) such as repressive laws, hate speech against religious minorities, persecution and discrimination of minorities and restricting the construction of places of worship.

RECOGNIZING that blasphemy laws remain embedded in the legal systems of several Southeast Asian countries, and they have been used to penalize freedom of expression and cause the rise of intolerance and hate speech, which fuel discrimination, persecution, and undermine the fabric of our societies. The ongoing politicization of religion for political gain deepens divisions and threatens our democracies, and leaves unresolved persistent issues facing religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Rohingya in Myanmar, the Ahmadiyya in Indonesia and Malaysia, and Christians in Vietnam, to name a few.

COGNISANT that freedom of religion or belief is guaranteed in the Constitutions of Southeast Asian states and protected under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 22 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

ACKNOWLEDGING the urgent need to address the challenges that threaten the realization of these rights and the assurance of individual freedoms, which are crucial to maintaining peace and social cohesion.

CALLING on the governments of Southeast Asia to fulfil their international obligations on human rights to respect, protect and fulfil the right to freedom of religion or belief, and urge them to: 

• Repeal repressive and discriminatory laws at all levels, from national to local, that threaten the right to freedom of religion or belief.
• Take decisive action against those who commit religious-based hate crimes, discrimination, and violence against minority groups.
• Cultivate a healthy political culture and end the misuse of religion for political purposes, and politicization of religion to ensure that everyone, regardless of their religion or ethnicity, has access to equal political participation.
• Strengthen tolerance and social cohesion through various approaches, including capacity building and engagement through education, meaningful interfaith dialogue, cultural and religious literacy, and inclusive policies developed through participatory processes.
• Protect the right of all individuals to hold and express their beliefs freely and peacefully, without fear of persecution or discrimination.

REALIZING the important role of Parliamentarians to uphold freedom of religion or belief, given their responsibilities in law-making, oversight, and  representation to contribute to positive and sustainable peace in the region.

DO HEREBY DECLARE our joint commitment to take the following actions to promote and protect human rights to freedom of religion or belief in Southeast Asia:

• To stand in solidarity with victims and to denounce acts of violence and incitement to hatred based on religion or belief, ensure the right to remedy for victims and engage with the affected communities in a respectful manner.
• To take all necessary measures to address religious-based conflict comprehensively and to prevent future conflict through the promotion of inclusive and constructive mediation, rehabilitation and reconciliation. 
• To ensure the laws and policies related to freedom of religion or belief comply with international human rights standards at various levels, from local, national, regional and international.
• To refrain from the misuse of religion for political purposes and to combat incitement to hatred and religious intolerance and discrimination online and offline effectively. 
• To work in partnership through established platforms with stakeholders, including policy makers, religious communities, civil society organizations, to promote the protection of freedom of religion or belief in Southeast Asia, with a focus on minority groups.
• To institutionalize the inclusion of interfaith groups in the dialogue with the state mechanisms to ensure that diverse religious and non-religious perspectives are represented and respected.
• To develop and strengthen capacity-building and collaborative activities, including exchanges, visits, mentorship programmes, research and fact-finding missions and to share best practices among practitioners in the area of freedom of religion or belief to support our parliamentary work and advocacy.
• To ensure that national mechanisms for human rights promotion and protection align with international human rights standards to ensure conformity, transparency, accountability and effectiveness.

Adopted today, twenty fifth of August of this year, two thousand twenty four in Jakarta, Indonesia, in single copy in English.