Workers of the World Resource Institute Indonesia reflect on the special role of women in the Papua province of Indonesia, with a particular focus on their contributions in West Papua. Women in Papua play a crucial role in ensuring food security for their families, upholding and supporting traditions and ceremonies, and leading environmental protection efforts. Through groups like the Bersaudara Forest Farmers Group, they are actively engaged in reforesting their land to secure future access to water. Other women’s groups organize collective gardening efforts to preserve nature and protect the soil. This knowledge positions women as vital participants in mapping processes, conflict resolution, and their communities’ fight for the recognition of Customary Forests. In tribes such as the Kamoro, women are entrusted with managing natural resources and preserving traditional knowledge about the tribe’s history, as well as medicinal and agricultural practices. Their production of food and artisanal crafts—often sold at markets—also contributes significantly to household financial security. Papua’s distinctive context plays a key role in all of this, especially under the “special autonomy law,” which calls for maximum public participation. Nonetheless, as the authors point out, the target of a 30% quota for women’s representation in local governance remains unmet, currently stalled at just 15%, despite women holding many crucial roles within their communities. This underrepresentation is also evident in the 2021 local Gender Empowerment Index, which scored only 62.17 for West Papua Province—15 points below the national average. Although the Papua province scored slightly higher, it too remained below the national average. For Papuan women, this gap is visible in the everyday inadequacies of infrastructure and health facilities.
