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Foundation Max van der Stoel organises a political café several times a year in order to take a deeper look at a political conflict taking place somewhere in the world. On 20 January, the last edition took place on the situation in Ethiopia (read the recap this page!). Retrieved from 7 April at 20.30 hour, Foundation Max van der Stoel is organising a new political café, this time on West Papua. During the discussion, several experts will discuss the many aspects of this conflict.
When the Netherlands gave up the colony of Dutch New Guinea in 1963 under international pressure, Indonesia gained control of West Papua. In 1969, Indonesia was ordered by the UN to organise a referendum in which the people of West Papua could decide their own future; independence or not. However, the course of the referendum went differently than expected; only roughly 1,000 representatives from West Papua were chosen by the Indonesian government to vote. Under heavy pressure, they then voted to join Indonesia. The independence struggle that then ensued as a result continues today.
Occasionally, West Papua pops up in the news. However, West Papua's struggle seems to receive little international attention. What sides are there to this conflict and why, precisely, is it important to pay attention to it? For answers to these questions, and more, attend the West Papua Political Cafe on 7 April! We have a fantastic panel for this: Raki Ap, expert on the conflict, Julia Jouwe, founder of the Young Papua Collective, and Anne-Linn Machielsen, who is writing her master's thesis on the impact of nickel mining in the region. The event is online at Facebook to follow and is in English. Connecting can also be done via Zoom with the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87848022915.
