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In a statement delivered during the 60th session of the Human Rights Council, Cressida Kuala, a human rights defender from Porgera Red Wara (River) Women's Association in Papua New Guinea, urged the Council to ensure that development projects in the affected communities are based on genuine partnership, co-ownership and benefit sharing. Read and watch the full statement below.
I speak from the heart of the Porgera Red Wara (River) Women’s Association, from the remote gold mining-affected local communities in the Porgera District of Enga Province in Papua New Guinea.
Our message to this Panel from the South Pacific region is simple:
A ‘just transition’ to sustainable energy must not become a new form of green colonialism on our lands. For decades, we have lived with the devastating impacts of mining. We have watched our sacred river turn red with toxic waste, our people kill each other fighting over land, and our communities suffer. This experience has taught us that any development, including for critical minerals, is only just if it is led by us.
Our customary land rights are our lifeblood. We demand that any new project—from renewable energy to mineral extraction—be subject to our Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). This means genuine partnership, co-ownership and benefit sharing, not just consultation.
Our traditional knowledge is essential for protecting our land and biodiversity, and it must be at the core of all planning. A truly just transition will recognise us as equal partners and leaders in the fight for a sustainable future, not as victims of past and future exploitation.
To the panel: Which measures should be taken to protect Indigenous Peoples and defenders who are at the forefront in the context of the just transition?
Thank you.
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