Introduction

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West Papua Programme

Franciscans International’s West Papua programme developed from an initial urgent action on the violation of human rights in West Papua that was brought to our attention by OFMs working in this troubled region. This opened the opportunity for FI to work with OFMs at the Office for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Jayapura, or the Sekretariat Keadilan dan Perdamaian (SKP) in Bahasa Indonesia; to a permanent advocacy program a number of years later. 
FI and SKP have been working together for more than seven years, strengthening advocacy initiatives at the local, national and international level. In 2007, FI established a permanent West Papua desk. This was a major step forward: it has enabled us to better represent Franciscan concerns for human rights in West Papua at the United Nations in Geneva.

In 2007 and 2008, our advocacy has highlighted the widespread occurrence of torture and ill-treatment, caused by the abuse and impunity of the security services (military, police, intelligence and special units) present in West Papua. The impact of their presence on the lives of indigenous Papuans is a constant concern for our partners, SKP, and thus remains a large part of our advocacy work in Geneva.

Our strong partnership with SKP allows us to: alert and inform the international community with reliable information about the situation on the ground; present factual evidence through documented reports to United Nations treaty bodies; raise awareness at the United Nations, and throughout the Franciscan family worldwide.

As a grassroots initiative, FI responds to the needs of our partners on the ground. On their behalf, FI aims to:

  • Represent SKP’s interests and concerns at the United Nations level, and other international organizations;
  • Raise awareness of the situation of human rights in West Papua at the United Nations, with diplomatic missions, and the NGO community;
  • Ensure participation of Franciscans and SKP staff at the United Nations;
  • Provide training to Franciscans in West Papua;
  • Participate in meetings of the Faith Based Network on West Papua and other NGOs and civil society groups that support the promotion and protection of human rights in West Papua.

Through their grassroots ministry, Franciscans in West Papua aim to improve the lives of indigenous Papuans. They work alongside them to: eradicate poverty, educate about HIV/AIDS, promote education and health, and improve the general well-being of a distressed population.