A Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the urgency of a UN visit to West Papua was held in the Dutch Parliament yesterday (28th February).
Held in the Parliament of West Papua’s former coloniser, the hearing is the third in a series of ULMWP and IPWP meetings demanding that Indonesia facilitate a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights fact-finding mission immediately.
International pressure is mounting on Indonesia to grant the UN access to West Papua. The Brussels Declaration, a new statement calling for a visit and accusing Indonesia of deliberately blocking international oversight, has now been signed by over 55 Parliamentarians from around the world. Over 100 countries have demanded a UN visit, including all member states of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS), the European Commission, and individual nations including the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands. At the 2023 annual meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), Melanesian leaders demanded that a UN visit take place before the next MSG meeting, scheduled for April 2024.
The meeting was addressed by ULMWP President Benny Wenda, ULMWP Prime Minister Edison Waromi (through video link), Honorary Consul of the Vanuatu Embassy Elisabeth van Vliet, ex-MEP and current-MEP candidate Pernando Barrena, and head of the ULMWP EU Mission Oridek Ap.
Demonstrations took place across various West Papuan regions in support of the meeting.
- UK Parliament meeting in London, October 2023
- EU Parliament meeting in Brussels, January 2024, launching the Brussels Declaration. Any Parliamentarians or diplomats who wish to sign the declaration should contact [email protected].
Benny Wenda’s speech can be viewed here.
Rally in support in La Pago, West Papua
Jayapura, West Papua
Saireri, West Papua
Merauke, West Papua
