International Webinar
Papua Strategic Policy Forum #8 "Building Sustainable Peace in Papua: Critical Recollection and Future Agenda''
Saturday, 28th November 2020

Background
Until recently, Papua remains an unresolved land of conflict where both horizontal and especially vertical conflicts have become the order of the day. There have been many initiatives by both the government and civil society organizations to resolve the conflict but they are relatively unsuccessful to address the root of the conflict.

This seminar departs from the argument that conflict in Papua is multidimensional, and therefore, requires a multidimensional approach to resolve it. Of these many dimensions, three perspectives stand out: historical-ideological, development or modernization, and the political economy. The first two perspectives are especially important given that conflict triggered by the aspiration for an independent Papua departs from the argument that, first, Papua is a distinctive cultural and racial entity integrated into the Unitary state of Indonesia through an orchestrated plebiscite. This was followed by a series of human rights violations by the government which is still unresolved as of today. From this perspective, peace could only be restored once Papua reclaims independence or at least by correcting the history. Second, many Papuans are deprived economically and politically of their own land due to the wrong and insufficient development intervention by the government. The first perspective implies the undertaking of a more open dialog between Papuans and the government of Indonesia. Some even demand an internationally monitored plebiscite which is responded to by the government only with hesitation. The second perspective requires the government to transform its development approaches, focusing on the issues of affirmation, protection, and acceleration of the development for Papuans.

This seminar will draw reflections and critical looks from respective resource persons with a deep understanding of Papua. The seminar expects to consolidate this knowledge as an additional, if not an alternative, sources in approaching Papua and its aspiration.

Objectives
a. To identify strategic intervention points to build peaceful Papua
b. Develop hands-on policy recommendations for the government and respective stakeholders to build sustainable peace for Papuans.

Speakers
- Professor Richard Chauvel (University of Melbourne)
- Professor David Henley (Universiteit Leiden)
- Gabriel Lele, PhD (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
- Dr. Michael Manufandu, MA (Papuan Senior Figure)

Moderator
- Arie Ruhyanto, M.Sc (University of Birmingham)