Indonesia has great natural wealth but many of its citizens live in extreme poverty. Democratic progress has been made since the resigation of former president Suharto in 1998, but many civil society organisations feel that far too little progress has been made towards sustainable management of the country's resources, and ensuring that Indonesia's diverse communities have a real say in decisions which affect their future.
The letter follows DtE and fellow NGOs' participation in the Indonesia and East Timor Civil Society Human Rights Roundtable (7th February 2012), with the British Ambassador to Indonesia, Mark Canning HMA.
The United National Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has written to the Indonesian government to express concern about the impacts of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate project (MIFEE) on the indigenous peoples affected by this agro-industrial mega-project.
The following report, by independent researcher Anna Bolin,[1] explores the global trends and influences at work behind agriculture mega-projects like MIFEE in Papua.
The following submissions were made in July and August 2011 in response to the urgent threats to human rights and livelihoods faced by indigenous peoples in the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) project area.
gn [dot] apc [dot] org
