Benny Wenda, President of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), has expressed appreciation for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ commitment to reaffirming their 2019 appeal for a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to West Papua. At the same time, he cautions that ongoing delays in the visit risk damaging the region’s credibility.
Wenda highlighted the importance of the PIF 2025 Communique, which recalls Indonesia’s 2018 invitation for a human rights mission. The Forum has directed its Secretariat to collaborate with Jakarta and coordinate with the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat to facilitate a visit by Forum Leaders’ Envoys in 2026. Wenda emphasized that while this notice gives Indonesia another year to act, there is a growing frustration with their delay in allowing such a visit, first promised seven years ago. The continued refusal, according to him, undermines not only Indonesia’s but the entire Pacific’s credibility.
Describing the Forum’s 2019 decision as pivotal for West Papua, Wenda lauded the Pacific’s collective stand to demand transparency concerning the human rights situation, calling it a “festering human rights sore” of the region. He further urged PIF nations to keep West Papua’s humanitarian crisis on the international agenda, particularly bringing it to the UN General Assembly in New York, as a platform to pressure Indonesia.
Wenda also warned about the severe consequences of Indonesia’s unfulfilled commitments. Since the initial call for a UN visit in 2019, Indonesia has intensified military campaigns in West Papua, causing the displacement of over 100,000 civilians and resulting in more than 1,000 deaths, alongside widespread environmental destruction.
This scenario calls for a renewed urgency from the international community and Pacific leaders to maintain pressure on Indonesia to fulfill its promises. By doing so, they ensure the protection of human rights and work towards a peaceful resolution to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in West Papua. The consistent advocacy efforts by the PIF and civil society organizations highlight the importance of global attention and action towards ensuring justice for the people of West Papua.
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