Indigenous Peoples

Down to Earth No.82, September 2009

AMAN, Indonesia’s Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance, has issued a statement on climate change. The Sinar Resmi Declaration was agreed at a national meeting of the organisation, hosted by the Banten Kidul indigenous community in West Java.

Down to Earth No.82, September 2009

Coastal communities have been marginalised by big business, as well as policies and legislation that favours large companies. They now face additional threats from the impacts of climate change.

Down to Earth No.82, September 2009

Indonesia's policy and practice in relation to sustainable development, climate change and human rights is to a significant extent governed by its obligations under international treaties and other international instruments.

Down to Earth No.82, September 2009

More deaths at Freeport-Rio Tinto mine in Papua

More violence near the Freeport-Rio Tinto copper and gold mine in West Papua resulted in three deaths - two Freeport employees and a police officer - in July. Police arrested seven people: two of them worked at the company's Grasberg mine. More shots were fired at a bus carrying the mine's employees in August, with one incident leaving five people injured.

Down to Earth No.80-81, June 2009

In January 2009 DTE marked its 20th birthday by inviting friends to a gathering in Bogor. On the same occasion we launched an Indonesian language compilation of climate change articles taken from recent DTE newsletters. The following review of our activities was published as the introduction to that book.

Down to Earth No.80-81, June 2009

Indigenous peoples are continuing to press for their rights to be respected in all climate change initiatives which affect them. They also want recognition for the role they have played in using the earth's resources sustainably and living low-carbon or carbon-neutral lifestyles.

Down to Earth No.80-81, June 2009

While this year's parliamentary and presidential elections have been dominating political life in Indonesia in recent months, the issue of climate change took a low priority on the competing parties' manifestos. Meanwhile, the government's much-criticised regulation on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) has been issued. Twenty projects are now underway in the country.