CSI at the UN: Protect indigenous Papuans self-determination on their own land

Описание: CSI's UN representative, Abi McDougal, delivered the following statement on the right to traditional economies in West Papua during an interactive dialogue with Ms. Anexa Alfred Cunningham, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP).

September 24, 2025
Watch the 26th meeting of the 60th session in full: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1y/k1y...

Full text:
Christian Solidarity International asks the Expert Mechanism to consider the
threats facing the traditional economies of the people of West Papua.

CSI thanks the experts for their explicit attention to food sovereignty in their
July report. In Indonesian-controlled West Papua, government and
corporations – backed up by military operations – have already cleared 19,000 hectares in Merauke, out of a planned two million hectares intended for the Indonesian government’s so-called National Strategic Projects for food and energy estates. All are conducted without free, prior and informed consent.

Though the program proclaims the goal of improving the economy and
producing bioenergy for climate mitigation, such deforestation and land
appropriation disrupt traditional ways of life, and prevent West Papuans from
accessing foods such as sago, a staple food that is traditional to local
communities.

Protests throughout Indonesia against government policies spiked this past
month, leading to violent clashes with government forces. With the increase in militarization under President Subianto, indigenous communities are
particularly vulnerable and face limited options for recourse to protect their
forests and their livelihoods.

How can the Indonesian government uphold in law and practice the right of
Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, including to freely pursue their
economic, social, and cultural development?