The EU- west Papua Project
This is the latest Solon Law project involving an appraisal of the EU’s foreign and external relations policy in relation to Indonesia, focusing on human rights and environmental conditions in West Papua.
Project Plan
Full Project Title
An appraisal of the EU’s foreign and external relations policy in relation to Indonesia, in the context of West Papua.
Project Participants
Project leader: Eve Sariyiannidou
Project participants: TBC
Project Objectives
a. Overarching objective The overarching aim of the project is: To appraise current and proposed cooperation between the EU and Indonesia, by reference to the human rights and environmental conditions in and affecting West Papua.
b. Specific objectives/areas of work EU’s foreign policy is a sophisticated institutionalised environment of various co-existing fields of policy which define the EU’s relationship with third countries, in this case, Indonesia. It is manifested by common commercial policy (trade), development cooperation, climate change diplomacy, human rights, administration of agreements with third states, and so on. Pure trade measures often give way to cooperation and association agreements with third countries, where economic relations are placed in a wider political context (formal political action that can be taken by the EU in terms of sanctions, restrictions on persons, assets, etc).
Key potential areas of work of the current project:
i. Climate change diplomacy. Initial focus on deforestation, self-determination of indigenous peoples.
ii. Trade/political measures, e.g. palm tree oil.
iii. Human rights. The application of ‘conditionality’ to promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the rights of minorities.
iv. Development cooperation.
Research Methodology and Approach
Provide a brief introduction of the historical challenges faced by West Papua as a province of Indonesia, and how these affect the EU’s foreign policy interests in the region and its relationship to Indonesia.
a. Work stream I: EU’s Green Deal on deforestation Provide an overview of the policy objectives of the EU’s Green Deal. Outline the salient features of the EU’s Green Deal with specific emphasis on deforestation. Identify the elements of the EU’s deforestation policy directly relevant to West Papua and its indigenous people. Analysis of the points of interjection between the EU’s deforestation policy and the COP26 (and successive summit). What will the EU’s deforestation policy mean for the region? Identify benefits and potential gaps.
b. Work stream II: The democratic right to self-determination based on individual human rights Appraise the EU’s foreign and external policy in relation to Indonesia in light of general and wider EU values and policies, e.g. respect for human rights and self-determination. The analysis will focus on the points of interjection between EU and international law.
Research Outputs
Articles, working papers, briefing papers, reports.
Dissemination of Results
a. Dissemination of results in working papers series.
b. Present the key findings of the project at international conferences.
c. Present the key findings of the project in policy-makers events.
d. Create a project website (or a section of an existing website dedicated to the project).
Public Communication
a. Within the project website (or relevant section of a wider website), create a blog section designed for wider audiences that will explain the key findings of the project in an accessible manner.
b. Communicate the policies and their social implications to other webpages of professional (non-academic) associations.
c. Disseminate key ideas from the project through short and powerful videos, social media etc.
Information on West Papua
