Indonesia, West Papua – Christian Solidarity International (CSI) delivered a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 28 March 2025, warning of Indonesian Government plans to expand its military presence and exploit natural resources in West Papua. CSI highlighted growing threats undermining the land rights of indigenous Papuans.
The organization expressed particular concerns regarding the possible re-launch of a government-steered transmigration program to West Papua as well as the new rice and sugarcane estate project in the Merauke Regency. The Strategic National Program (PSN) devastates tropical rainforests and jeopardize the survival of indigenous West Papuans in the regency.
CSI's concerns also stem from recent changes to Indonesia's military code, which have effectively removed checks on the military's power and could increase the number of troops deployed in West Papua. These developments come amid ongoing displacement of local communities, as more than 79,000 Papuans have reportedly been forced from their homes by military operations. CSI stressed that these measures are at odds with international mandates such as the Durban Declaration and the UN Programme of Action on the Eradication of Racism, both of which affirm indigenous peoples' rights to their land and resources.
In response, Indonesia's delegation rejected allegations of discrimination in the six Papuan provinces and promised continued dialogue with local stakeholders, including indigenous communities. CSI's Director of Public Advocacy, Joel Veldkamp, maintained that such assurances do not match the lived realities of West Papuans, who fear for their very survival under the government's development plans. CSI reiterated its call on Indonesia to halt environmentally destructive projects in West Papua and allow international human rights observers to access the region.
Watch statement
Full oral CSI statement at the Human Rights Council 58th Session, Agenda Item 9, General Debate, delivered on 27 March 2025:
Thank you, Mr. President.
In West Papua, indigenous peoples face renewed threats to their land rights.
Since his election last fall, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has announced a revival of the Indonesian government's transmigration program to settle non-indigenous people in West Papua. He has also authorized the creation of 2 million hectares of new rice and sugar plantations, and an agreement for the British firm British Petroleum to expand the Tangguh facility's oil operations by 50%.
These projects threaten not only the third largest rainforest in the world and one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet, but also the land that the indigenous peoples of West Papua call home. Amnesty International's Indonesia director Usman Hamid rightly calls environmental degradation an "existential threat to the people of West Papua."
Moreover, military battalions accompany these projects. The increased military presence in West Papua is particularly concerning, as Indonesia's parliament last week amended the country's military law, removing checks on the military's power.
With estimates that more than 79,000 West Papuans already remain internally displaced by military operations, protecting Papuans' land ownership is an urgent imperative.
The Durban Declaration calls on states "to ensure that indigenous peoples are able to retain ownership of their lands and of those natural resources to which they are entitled under domestic law."
Christian Solidarity International calls on the government of Indonesia to halt its transmigration program in West Papua, protect indigenous land rights, and allow international rights monitors to enter the region."