IRI Indonesia organizes training and soft launch for the West Papua Chapter

The official IRI West Papua launch has been postponed to a later date due to political instability in the region and the pandemic. A soft launch event, however, included the participation of 100 leaders from Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist faith communities as well as representatives from the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN). The Governor of West Papua presided over the event and shared remarks about the current situation in the region. He endorsed the soft launch of the IRI West Papua chapter in the province and welcomed the planning of an official launch event. The event also included keynote addresses on the legal and deforestation issues that West Papua faces, the protection of forests and indigenous peoples’ rights, and how to implement environmental teachings from sacred texts.