From November 27th to 31st, 2020, the Association of Indonesian Legal Aid Institutes (HuMa) organized the Virtual Field School for Papua and West Papua, with the theme “Management and Presentation of Data for Developing Community Development Planning for Indigenous Peoples and Development of their Customary Territories.”

The Virtual Field School is a new innovation by HuMa to combat the spread of the CoVid-19 virus. The activity was carried out through a combination of Online and Offline methods. Among the participants were colleagues from Pt PPMA from Papua and Panah Papua, as well as several representatives of the community from West Papua. Throughout the 5-day event, the participants gathered in Jayapura and Manokwari.

The Virtual Field School activities were guided by colleagues from HuMa,, namely Bimantara Adjie, Agung Wibowo, and Nora Hidayati, , assisted by 2 hosts as Host and Co-Host, namely Bramanta and Heru Kurniawan.

 

 

The description of the activities and materials learned together are as follows:

1. Day One (October 27, 2020).

The first day began with sharing knowledge and information regarding the common goals of organizing the Field School. This introduction provided an opportunity for all participants to get to know each other, set goals, and achievements for the Field School training. Additionally, the introduction process served as a platform to discuss the situation and conditions of Indigenous Peoples and customary forest policies, both in Papua and West Papua.

The next topic, regarding the principles of Natural Resources Management and Human Rights Perspectives in recognizing Indigenous Peoples, was also an important part conveyed by Agung Wibowo and Herlambang Wiratraman. They clearly outlined the misconceptions and legal loopholes that have led to widespread exploitation in Papua and West Papua, contradicting the ideals of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

 

 

Information and knowledge related to the introduction of these theories will have implications for enhancing the critical thinking of Field School participants and will be the starting point for continuing several agendas in the following days. Conceptual alignment is crucial as the primary collaboration step in the Advocacy Plan for the Recognition of Indigenous Peoples, Customary Territories, and their Forests.

 

2. Day Two (October 28, 2020).

After grappling with the basic common perceptions of natural resource management