Siaran Pers

JOINT STATEMENT OF POSITION: Civil Society Organisations, Indigenous Peoples, Victims and Survivors’ Families, Women’s Movements, Youth Organisations, and Civil Movements in West Papua

20 Oktober 2026 · Operator ELSHAM Papua

JOINT STATEMENT OF POSITION

Civil Society Organisations, Indigenous Peoples, Victims and Survivors' Families, Women's Movements, Youth Organisations, and Civil Movements in West Papua

In response to the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Caucus Decisions in Palau, the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Communiqué, and Statements by Pacific Leaders at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

Acknowledgement and Gratitude for Pacific Solidarity

We, the people of West Papua, represented by civil society organisations, Indigenous Peoples, families of victims and survivors of human rights violations, social movements, youth groups, and women's organisations in Tanah Papua, express our deepest gratitude and highest respect for the unwavering attention, concern, and solidarity demonstrated by the Governments of the Solomon Islands, the Republic of Vanuatu, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands during the 2026 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) regarding the human rights and humanitarian situation in West Papua.

This statement also specifically acknowledges and welcomes the significant regional developments in the Pacific, namely the decisions of the MSG Caucus in Koror, Palau, on 31 August 2026, and the 2026 PIF Leaders' Communiqué. These regional decisions consistently re-emphasise the urge for the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to grant access to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to visit Tanah Papua, alongside agreeing to MSG's participation in the 2026 PIF Envoy mission to West Papua.

As an associate member of the MSG and a dialogue partner of the PIF, the Government of Indonesia bears a moral, legal, and diplomatic responsibility to respond to these regional decisions and appeals in an open, rational, and constructive manner.

Escalating Human Rights Crisis, Internal Displacement, and State Contradictions

Amidst these regional diplomatic dynamics, the reality on the ground demonstrates that the people of West Papua continue to face a severe human rights and human security crisis. Escalating armed conflict, intensified militarisation, the shrinking of civic space, and environmental degradation persist without fundamental resolution.

In particular, the implementation of National Strategic Projects (PSN) and large-scale extractive investments has led to mass dispossession of customary lands, the takeover of customary territories, the destruction of local livelihoods, and the systemic erosion of Indigenous Peoples' living space. This disregard for customary land rights continues to drive severe economic marginalisation and ecological destruction.

This situation is further exacerbated by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. Since the escalation of armed conflict in 2018 and ongoing military operations across West Papua, more than 127.031 civilians have been internally displaced (IDPs). They remain in precarious conditions without guaranteed access to healthcare, adequate food, education, or proper housing, while being forcibly severed from their ancestral lands.

As a current member of the UN Human Rights Council (2024-2026), Indonesia has an international obligation to demonstrate, through concrete and verifiable actions, its genuine commitment to human rights, transparency, and accountability. A stark gap remains between Indonesia's global diplomatic rhetoric and the daily reality experienced by the West Papuan people.

We note the active role played by the Government of Indonesia in advocating for international humanitarian causes, including the rights of the Palestinian people. While we fully support the consistent enforcement of universal human rights values globally, the Government of Indonesia must end its double standards and apply the same principles of justice, humanity, and human rights protection domestically in Tanah Papua. Allowing independent international monitoring is not a threat to national sovereignty; rather, it is a necessary step towards transparency and building international trust.

Core Demands and Call to Action

In light of the critical circumstances facing the people of West Papua, we call upon and urge the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to take the following concrete actions:

Unconditional International Access:
Immediately grant free, safe, and unhindered access to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Special Rapporteurs, international human rights monitors, the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Delegation, and independent international media to conduct direct visits and monitoring across Tanah Papua (West Papua).
Follow Up on MSG and PIF Decisions:
Provide a formal, constructive response to the 2026 MSG Caucus decisions and the PIF Leaders' Meeting Communiqué, including facilitating and guaranteeing the official visit of the UN OHCHR and the joint PIF Envoy and MSG mission to Papua in 2026.
Emergency Action on Internal Displacement and Humanitarian Crisis:
Implement immediate emergency measures to address the humanitarian needs of over 127,031 internally displaced persons (IDPs), guaranteeing their rights to food, healthcare, education, adequate shelter, and safe, voluntary, and dignified return to their ancestral villages.
Protection for Human Rights Defenders and Civilians:
Ensure the physical and legal protection of human rights defenders, human rights activists, customary land defenders, witnesses, victims and survivors of human rights violations and their families, journalists, customary leaders, religious figures, and youth and women's organisations, and cease all forms of intimidation, criminalisation, and reprisals against those engaging with human rights mechanisms.
Independent Verification and Legal Accountability:
Establish independent verification into alleged gross human rights violations, the IDP crisis, and the socio-ecological impacts of National Strategic Projects (PSN) and extractive operations. All alleged abuses must be addressed through credible, transparent legal accountability mechanisms.
Peaceful Conflict Resolution Through Inclusive Dialogue:
Initiate a credible, inclusive, and meaningful political dialogue to resolve the root causes of the Papuan conflict permanently, engaging legitimate representatives of the West Papuan people, Indigenous communities, political actors and organisations, church leaders, women, youth, and West Papuan civil society organisations.

Rejection of Superficial Responses and Demand for Structural Reform

We firmly reject any reactionary, superficial, or public relations-driven responses from the Government of Indonesia that attempt to project a false narrative that the human rights crisis in Papua has been resolved.

What the Papuan people urgently require is genuine and verifiable policy change on the ground, which must include:

The immediate cessation of military operations and the withdrawal of non-organic troops from civilian areas.
The suspension of National Strategic Projects (PSN) and extractive mega-projects that dispossess customary lands and threaten Indigenous livelihoods.
Comprehensive redress for victims, judicial justice, and a commitment to peaceful, dignified dialogue.

Commitment to Facilitate Independent Monitoring and Global Appeal

We affirm our full readiness to receive, accompany, and facilitate visits by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Special Rapporteurs, and Pacific regional delegation missions (MSG & PIF) across Tanah Papua. Our networks of civil society, church leaders, customary bodies, and victims' groups stand ready to provide direct evidence, testimonies, and authentic documentation.

We call upon the United Nations, UN Member States, the MSG, the PIF, and the broader international community to actively monitor the situation in West Papua and ensure international visits are no longer delayed. Indonesia's commitments as a member of the UN Human Rights Council must be tested through action.

West Papua must no longer remain isolated from the world. Open international access, hear the voices of the victims, and deliver accountability now!

Jayapura, 16 October 2026

Declared jointly by:

Lembaga Studi dan Advokasi Hak Asasi Manusia (ELSHAM) Papua Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy - Papua
Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia (PAHAM) Papua Legal Aid and Human Rights Association - Papua
Bersatu Untuk Kebenaran (BUK) United for Truth
West Papua Council of Churches (WPCC)
Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH) Kaki Abu Sorong Legal Aid Institute Kaki Abu Sorong
Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (KontraS) Tanah Papua Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence - Tanah Papua
KEWITA Learning Initiatives Papua
Papuan Women's Working Group (PWG)
Lembaga Advokasi Peduli Perempuan Kabupaten Merauke (eL_AdPPer Merauke) Institute for Women's Advocacy and Care (Merauke Regency)
KPKC GKI di Tanah Papua Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) - Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua

ENDORSEMENTS AND SOLIDARITY

This Joint Statement of Position is further supported and endorsed by civil society networks, non-governmental organisations, human rights movements:

Individual Endorsers / Key Figures:

Novita Opki - Independent Woman Human Rights Defender
Rosa Moiwend - Independent Woman Human Rights Defender
Zandra Mambrasar - Independent Woman Human Rights Defender
Melan Sorabut - Independent Woman Human Rights Defender

Endorsing Organisations:

No	Nama Organisasi	Logo / Gambar
1	Gerakan Rakyat Demokratik Papua (GARDA-P) Papuan Democratic People's Movement
2	West Papua National Authority (WPNA)
3	KOWAKI Tanah Papua
4	Gerakan Pembebasan Rakyat Papua (GEMPAR) Papuan People's Liberation Movement
5	Kainkain Karkara Byak The Council of the Byak Tribe
6	JPIC Ordo Santo Augustinus Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) - Order of Saint Augustine
7	Wahana Lingkungan Hidup (WALHI) Papua Friends of the Earth Indonesia Papua Regional Office
8	Lao Lao Media Pergerakan Rakyat Papua Lao Lao Media - Papuan People's Movement
9	Yayasan Keadilan dan Keutuhan Manusia Papua (YKKMP) Papua Foundation for Justice and Human Integrity
10	Lembaga Penelitian Pengkajian dan Pengembangan Bantuan Hukum (LP3BH) Manokwari Institute for Research, Study and Development of Legal Aid - Manokwari
11	KPKC Franciscans OFM Papua Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Franciscans Papua
12	Tiki Jaringan HAM Perempuan Papua Tiki Papuan Women's Human Rights Network
13	Dewan Adat Papua (DAP) Papuan Customary Council
14	Forum Kerjasama LSM (FOKER) Papua Papua NGO Cooperation Forum
15	Komunitas Peduli Lingkungan (LEPEMAWI) Timika LEPEMAWI Environmental Care Community, Timika
16	LBH Papua Merauke Legal Aid Institute of Papua Merauke