Fiji won a fierce contest to head the global rights group, but coalition of NGOs says repression and abuses domestically must be addressed Fiji has won an intense and secretive geo-political battle to become the first Pacific island nation to…
The favorite of Western nations, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, beat off competition from Bahrain and Uzbekistan to win the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) on Friday elected Fiji’s ambassador as its…
Independence leader Benny Wenda announced the formation of the Provisional Government of West Papua on 1 December 2020. The government-in-exile has declared Indonesia’s presence in its country an illegal occupation and asserted its right to rule over its own nation. “We…
Asia Pacific Report newsdesk Indonesia’s former coloniser, the Netherlands, has become the 83rd international state calling for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be allowed into West Papua. Following questions posed by parliamentarians from seven Dutch political parties,…
January 13, 2021 in News – The Netherlands has become the 83rd international state calling for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be allowed into West Papua. Following questions posed by parliamentarians from seven Dutch political parties, the Dutch Foreign…
Violence is escalating in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, where meaningful and inclusive dialogue is urgently needed to address longstanding economic, social and political grievances, the UN human rights office said on Monday. “We are disturbed by escalating violence…
In a major victory for the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), the British Government has stated its support for a visit to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Commissioner’s visit, a key demand…
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office written question – answered on 4th November 2020. Alex Sobel Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Pacific Islands Forum and Organisation of African, Caribbean…
The chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano, says it’s vital there is open and constructive dialogue on the human rights situation in West Papua. He has written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human…
Vanuatu’s prime minister has again pressed the United Nations General Assembly over human rights abuses in West Papua. During his speech in New York, Charlot Salwai lamented how some Pacific territories are yet to break the shackles of colonialism. Mr…