News
The economic, social and cultural rights of the Papuan people will be the main focus of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) involvement in this year's 61st session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).
As in previous years, the WCC is assisting human rights representatives from the South to attend the 12 March-22 April session. The WCC-accredited delegations this year will be from Papua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Nepal, Guatemala and Colombia.
The WCC is presenting a written submission to the UNCHR under agenda item 10 (on socio-economic and cultural rights).
In it the WCC asks the commission to inform the government of Indonesia that "its present measures to divide the province [of Papua] against the wishes of the people can only lead… to further denial of their socio-economic and cultural rights."
The WCC also asks the commission to urge the government "to ensure that the province of Papua gets a just share of the proceeds earned from the exploitation of its abundant natural resources".
The WCC is co-signatory of a second written submission on the civil and political rights of the Papuan people that makes particular reference to a Special Autonomy Law for the Indonesian province.
A study on the economic, social and cultural rights of the Papuan people commissioned by the German churches with the WCC, and undertaken by Papuan academics and human rights defenders, will also be released during the time of the Commission and presented in a public event scheduled for Thursday, 31 March. Speakers will include notable religious leaders from Papua (more details will be available later next week).
From 2-4 April, representatives of faith-based bodies attending the 61st session, including the WCC, will meet to strategize together on the human rights of the Papuan people.
On 6 April, the WCC has convened a meeting of ecumenical partners to address the question of the reform of the UNHRC itself.
More information on WCC work at the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights is available at:
