By Pita Ligaiula in Koror, Palau
Pacific Islands Forum Leaders are expected to receive an update on efforts to facilitate a visit by the UN Human Rights Commissioner to West Papua when they meet in Palau next week.
Forum Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi said the Forum Secretariat had been discussing the way forward with the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), following a decision by Leaders last year to facilitate the UN human rights visit in consultation with the MSG.
“We’ve not made the decision, but the leaders have. We will need to work with the Melanesian Spearhead Group on this,” Nayasi told Pacific journalists in Palau.
He said discussions had already been held this week with the newly appointed MSG Director General, Dr Anna Naupa, on how to advance the issue.
“We’ve had discussions earlier this week with the Director General of MSG in terms of the approach going forward,” he said.
Forum leaders have also appointed two special envoys to assist with regional engagement with Indonesia on West Papua.
The special envoys are Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.
Nayasi said the appointment of the special envoys was part of efforts to advance the issue and provide a regional channel for engagement with Indonesia.
He said leaders could receive an update next week on progress made since their decision last year.
The 2025 Forum Leaders’ Communique called for efforts to facilitate a visit to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2026, through the appointed special envoys and in consultation with the MSG.
Nayasi said the work remained ongoing.
“The communique actually said to facilitate the visit in 2026 by those envoys whenever they’d like to go. So that’s the ongoing discussion that we have now,” he said.
He said the arrival of the new MSG Director General provided an opportunity for the Forum and MSG to strengthen coordination on the issue.
“And now with the Director General having commenced work, we’re really looking forward to seeing how we can take that forward,” Nayasi said.
The issue of West Papua has remained on the Forum’s regional agenda, with members continuing to discuss human rights concerns and engagement with Indonesia.
Nayasi said the Forum Secretariat would continue working with the MSG and the two special envoys as leaders consider the issue in Palau next week.
