Indonesia

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.

UN CERD writes to Indonesia about MIFEE citing CSO concerns

In a letter dated 30 August 2013, Alexei Avtonomov, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), has once again raised the issue of MIFEE with the Indonesian government.

Save the Malind and the Forests of Papua: Stop the MIFEE Megaproject

Indonesian and International Civil Society Statement on MIFEE policy

September 2013

The attached statement, translated by DTE, was distributed in Geneva at an International Consultation on Papua.

MIFEE: submission to CERD by 27 organisations

Request for Further Consideration of the Situation of the Indigenous Peoples of Merauke, Papua Province, Indonesia, under the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s Urgent Action
and Early Warning Procedures

Submitted July 25th 2013 by 27 Indonesian and international organisations including Forest Peoples Programme, Pusaka, Sawit Watch and Down to Earth.

Government reduces Papua’s forest zone

DTE 95, March 2013

Last year Indonesia’s forestry minister signed a decree to change the extent and function of the area officially classified as forest in Papua province. The move will see changes to more than six million hectares, including areas targeted by agribusinesses in the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) development zone in the southern part of Papua.[1]

MIFEE-affected communities want their land back

DTE 95, March 2013

A round-up of recent material about MIFEE, (first published in January 2013)

Indigenous communities living along the Bian and Maro Rivers in Merauke, southern Papua, have demanded the return of their customary lands taken for the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) mega-project. A set of demands issued after four days of community discussions in December also called for the revoking of location permits covering their customary land and for the companies involved to restore the damage done and pay compensation to affected communities.

Big plans for Papua

DTE 91-92, May 2012

In our special edition newsletter on Papua published in November 2011, DTE drew attention to the long and sorry history of top-down resource exploitation in Papua. Now, a whole raft of new development plans are being pushed through, under the government’s nation-wide effort to speed up development (MP3EI), launched last year. An additional layer of plans specifically for Papua is being promoted by UP4B, a special unit to speed up development in Papua.