A coalition of church, indigenous, civil society, women and youth groups has urged the Indonesian government to grant international monitors unrestricted access to Papua and take immediate action on mass displacement and alleged human rights abuses.
In a joint statement on Oct. 17, a total of 26 groups called on Jakarta to facilitate visits by the UN human rights office, UN special rapporteurs, envoys of Pacific Island nations, international monitors and independent media.
The people of West Papua continue to face a severe human rights and human security crisis, the statement said.
Escalating armed conflict, intensified militarization, the shrinking of civic space and environmental degradation persist without fundamental resolution, it added.
The signatories include the West Papua Council of Churches; Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) – Order of Saint Augustine; JPIC Franciscans Papua; the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (ELSHAM) Papua; the Kaki Abu Sorong Legal Aid Institute; and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) Papua, among others.
The coalition said ongoing military operations and armed conflict displaced 127,031 civilians since 2018, leaving many without reliable access to health care, food, education and adequate shelter.
Internally displaced communities face severe shortages of basic life-saving services, said Rutina Labene of the Centre for Human Rights Studies at Walterpost Theological College and the West Papua Council of Churches.
The government must guarantee immediate humanitarian relief and ensure safe, voluntary and dignified returns to ancestral lands, she said.
The groups also raised concerns about state-backed National Strategic Projects and expanding extractive industries in South Papua.
They said projects proceeding without the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous communities threaten the Malind, Yeinan, Awuyu and Muyu peoples.
We demand an immediate halt to military expansion, the withdrawal of non-organic troops from civilian areas, and the suspension of projects seizing customary land, said Beatrix Gebze of the Women's Care Advocacy Institute in Merauke.
Gustaf Kawer, chair of the Association of Human Rights Advocates (PAHAM) Papua, said Indonesia's domestic practices should reflect its international commitments.
Indonesia cannot champion human rights abroad while ignoring arbitrary surveillance, intimidation and the criminalization of journalists and activists at home, Kawer said.
The appeal follows decisions by the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) caucus in Koror, Palau, on Aug. 31 and the 2026 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Communique supporting international access.
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, the statement said.
It urged Indonesia to facilitate a visit by the UN human rights office and a proposed Pacific Islands Forum envoy mission involving the MSG.
Allowing independent international monitoring is not a threat to national sovereignty; rather, it is a necessary step towards transparency and building international trust, the coalition said.
Manfun Apolos Sroyer of the Papuan Customary Council said international access would promote transparency rather than threaten Indonesian sovereignty.
It is the single most essential step towards building transparency and restoring international trust, he said.
Samuel Awom of KontraS Papua said churches, customary bodies, civil society and victims' groups were ready to accompany international visitors and provide evidence and testimony.
Civil society across West Papua stands ready to assist UN and Pacific envoys so they can meet directly with victims, survivors and Indigenous Papuans, he said.
In a statement, Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said it rejected allegations of rights abuses in Papua during the UN General Assembly debate in New York on Sept. 28.
It said the government takes credible allegations seriously and works closely with national institutions such as the independent National Human Rights Commission in accordance with law.
The authorities said any UN visit should take place only after Indonesia agrees to it.
Conflict in Papua dates back to the 1960s when the region declared independence following the end of Dutch colonial rule. However, Indonesia claimed the territory as an integral part and annexed it by force.
A pro-independence insurgency and the military's counter-insurgency operations have left thousands killed and tens of thousands killed in Papua in the past decades.
Source: https://www.ucanews.com/amp/indonesia-urged-to-grant-unfettered-access-to-conflict-torn-papua/11583