Vanuatu's prime minister has used his time at the United Nations General Assembly to call for investigations into alleged cases of human rights abuses in West Papua.

Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil accused the UN of consistently ignoring West Papuan people or their plight.

"It is clear from many historical records that the Melanesian people of West Papua were the scapegoat of Cold war politics and were sacrificed to gratify the appetite for the natural resources which this country possess," Mr. Kalosil said. "Today they are still the victims of ignorance of the UN."

"We are now deliberating on the issue of Syria, but when it comes to the issue of the rights of the people of West Papua, our voices are muted even in this podium," he said.

"How can we then ignore hundreds of thousands of West Papuans who have been brutally beaten and murdered? The people of West Papua are looking to the UN as a beacon for hope".

Mr Kalosil, a long time advocate of independence for West Papua from Indonesia, called on the UN to appoint a Special Representative to investigate alleged human rights abuses.

"It is time for the United Nations to move beyond its periphery and address and rectify some historical error," he said.

The United Nations human rights chief, Navi Pillay has previously highlighted her concerns. In May, when police reportedly shot and killed two protesters on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Papua becoming part of Indonesia, she called on the Indonesian government to allow peaceful protests to take place.

"These latest incidents are unfortunate examples of the ongoing suppression of freedom of expression and excessive use of force in Papua," Ms Pillay said.

Australia's influence

Meanwhile, there are calls for Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott to use his trip to Indonesia this week to put the issue on the agenda.

The Human Rights Law Centre's Tom Clarke said the new Australian government has the opportunity to address "serious human rights violations occurring a stone's throw away in Indonesia's Papua Provinces".

"The Australian-Indonesian relationship needs to become mature enough to handle two-way criticisms about human rights problems," Mr Clarke said.

"Our Prime Minister has said that he and his colleagues are "custodians of free speech". If this is the case, he must take this opportunity to take a strong stance in support of the basic democratic rights and freedoms which are severely restricted in Papua," he said.

Mr Abbott will travel to Jakarta on Monday, but issues over Australia's asylum seeker policies are widely expected to dominate discussions.