Today marks the 63rd year since the signing of the New York Agreement on 15 August 1962— a deal made between the Netherlands and Indonesia, brokered by the United States and the United Nations, that paved the way for decades of political repression, militarization, and systemic human rights violations against the Indigenous Peoples of West Papua.
As Indigenous youth from across Asia, we stand in solidarity with our West Papuan brothers and sisters in asserting that our lands, resources, and futures must never be traded away in closed-door agreements between states and global powers. The New York Agreement remains a stark reminder of how colonial and neocolonial systems continue to deny Indigenous peoples our right to self-determination.
We join the call for:
Recognition of West Papua’s right to self-determination;
An end to militarization and state violence in West Papua;
An end to imperialist control and exploitation over West Papua’s lands, resources, and people.
MERDEKA FOR WEST PAPUA!
#FreeWestPapua #DownWithImperialism #DefendAncestralLands
