PAPUA IS NOT EMPTY LAND:A CALL FOR JUSTICE, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' RIGHTS, AND THE FUTURE OF PAPUA

Sorong, Southwest Papua 2 June 2026

Tetesan Air Mata Ibunda Kota Tua Sorong -Melangkah Tanpa Alas Kaki- Today, Indigenous youth and local communities in Malamoi once again raise their aspirations. This is not an act of rejecting development. This is a call for justice. This is a call for respect. This is a call for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights, environmental protection, and democratic participation in every decision that directly affects our lives, our forests, and our future.

For generations, Indigenous communities throughout Papua have lived side by side with nature. Long before modern development programs arrived, our ancestors fulfilled their needs through local food systems that were deeply connected to the land. Sago, sweet potatoes, cassava, taro, bananas, forest products, rivers, and traditional ecological knowledge have sustained Indigenous communities for centuries. Therefore, many Indigenous communities continue to ask one simple but important question:

Why is there always a push to open and develop large-scale rice fields, while local food systems receive far less attention?

Why do traditional food sources that have sustained Indigenous communities for centuries not receive equal commitment and investment? Why is development often designed from outside Indigenous territories, rather than being built upon Indigenous knowledge and long-existing local realities? These questions are not expressions of hostility. They are expressions of concern. They are expressions of responsibility. They are expressions of democratic participation. Indigenous Peoples have the right to ask questions about projects that may affect their ancestral lands, forests, rivers, cultural heritage, and the future of the next generations. This is not an anti-development stance. This is democracy.

Across various regions of Papua, communities continue to observe changes occurring on customary lands. Indigenous youth learn from experiences, public discussions, open debates, environmental studies, community testimonies, and stories emerging from different regions. Many people are increasingly concerned about the long-term impacts of large-scale landscape transformation on forests, biodiversity, cultural heritage, water systems, and Indigenous ways of life. These concerns deserve attention. They deserve dialogue. They deserve respect. Forests are not empty spaces waiting to be exploited. Forests are living ecosystems. Forests are homes. Forests are learning spaces. Forests are natural pharmacies. Forests are sacred places where Indigenous identity and cultural memory are preserved.

When forests disappear, the losses cannot be measured only by the number of hectares lost. What is lost is traditional knowledge. What is lost is cultural identity. What is lost is spiritual connections to ancestral lands.

What is lost are wildlife habitats that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. What is lost is the opportunity for future generations to inherit the natural and cultural wealth of their ancestors. Papua's forests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Forests are not merely resources. Forests are life-support systems. For Indigenous Peoples, forests are not commodities. Forests are family. Forests are history. Forests are the future.

That is why many Indigenous communities continue to voice concern whenever large-scale development projects are planned within customary territories. Communities ask for meaningful participation. Communities ask for transparency. Communities ask for accountability. Communities ask to be heard before decisions are made.

The principle is very simple:

There must be no decisions regarding customary lands without the involvement of Indigenous Peoples themselves. Meaningful consultation is not a privilege. It is a right. Participation is not a gift. Participation is a democratic principle. Respecting Indigenous Peoples is not an act of charity. It is a legal and moral obligation. Human rights principles recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples to participate in every decision concerning their lands, territories, natural resources, and cultural survival.

Environmental justice requires affected communities to have a voice.

Democracy requires citizens to be able to express their opinions without fear. The rule of law requires justice, transparency, and accountability. These principles are not obstacles to development. These principles are the foundation of sustainable development. Genuine development is not measured solely through economic indicators. Genuine development must also be measured through the health of rivers. Through forest conservation.

Through the protection of biodiversity. Through the dignity of Indigenous Peoples. Through cultural preservation. Through the well-being of future generations.

Development that destroys the foundations of life cannot be called progress. Development that excludes the voices of Indigenous Peoples cannot be called participation. Development that ignores environmental impacts cannot be called sustainability. The future of Papua must not be built through exclusion.

The future of Papua must be built through dialogue. Through respect. Through partnership. Through justice. Today, Indigenous youth are speaking because they care.

They care about their forests.

They care about their rivers.

They care about their culture.

They care about their communities.

They care about future generations who deserve to inherit a sustainable environment, not merely memories of what once existed.

This is not merely an environmental issue. This is a human rights issue. This is a democracy issue. This is a cultural survival issue. This is a matter of justice.

The voices expressed today are not asking for special treatment.

What is being requested is equal respect. Equal participation. Equal recognition. Equal protection under the law. Papua is not empty land. Papua is home. Papua is culture. Papua is identity. Papua is collective memory. Papua is life.

And the future of Papua must be built together with Indigenous Peoples, not without them. Forests matter. Rivers matter. Wildlife matters. Culture matters. People matter. The future matters. Because when a forest is lost, future generations may need decades to restore what has disappeared. Yet there are many things that can never be fully restored.

That is why Indigenous Peoples continue to raise their voices. That is why communities continue to stand and protect their lands. That is why the struggle for environmental justice, Indigenous Peoples' rights, democratic participation, and human dignity will continue.

Papua is not empty land. Papua is our home. And our home deserves respect. Protect Forests. Respect Indigenous Peoples' Rights. Defend Human Rights. Strengthen Democracy.

Honor Customary Lands.

Protect Future Generations.