KNPB Vice-Chairman, Mako Tabuni, stated that a referendum, which would enable the people to exercise their political right of self-determination, is the only legitimate and peaceful means of solving the ongoing conflict. KNPB and other West Papuan freedom movements were encouraged by a statement by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban ki-Moon, at a media event in Auckland, New Zealand, on September 7, 2011, that West Papua should be discussed by the Decolonization Committee of the United Nations.

The Secretary General-s statement may represent more of the same political ineffectiveness that has characterized the dispute for the past 48 years, but it-s evident that the freedom movement isn-t going away. According to Joe Collins, of the Australia West Papua Association, security in West Papua is deteriorating, due to a crackdown by the Indonesian military.

Fifteen human rights groups in Australia and New Zealand called upon the UN Secretary-General to appoint a representative to investigate alleged human rights violations in West Papua, as well as its political status. Clearly, the time has arrived for those who favor a peaceful resolution to the West Papua conflict, to add their voice to the urgent need for high-level dialogue with the Indonesian government.

The Indigenous Youth acting as a cohesive body are very capable of changing their world, and helping all of the free world to change its ideas about the role and life of Indigenous Youth. Their Leadership Training Workshops are designed to help the youth accomplish building a cohesive sharing methodology among the Asia-Pacific region-s Indigenous Youth.

The Indigenous Youth are learning to campaign for Indigenous People and Indigenous Youth issues. An effective advocacy organization is important in getting free world support for their needs.

Developing ideas for new sources of funding from international development funds is an effort that a network can achieve very easily.

Indigenous people continue to face discrimination and hardships all over the Asia Pacific region. For the youth, the struggles are often more specific. They tend to feel caught between two worlds. The traditional ways they’ve been brought up, with a distinct language and culture, and then the modern world and the language that everyone else is speaking. Fitting in is always a struggle that young people face, but it is even more difficult for these indigenous youth caught between two cultures.

Indigenous youth also tend to dwell in smaller communities with their people and have less resources and opportunities than their peers. This can be frustrating and may promote a sense of isolation. Many struggle to find their identity as an indigenous person, while at the same time, longing to be part of the larger world outside. Suicide is a big problem among the youth of indigenous peoples. That’s why it is important for there to be services and counselors available for them to go to in order to talk about their problems. Even though there are more opportunities for indigenous youth, leadership must realize that they have a long way to go for equality.

Because of the unique and sometimes pervasive problems facing many indigenous youth, it is important that groups such as the Asia Pacific Indigenous Youth Network exist to defend and promote their rights. This aforementioned group rouses indigenous youth to stand up for their rights and make their issues known to those in leadership. The APIYN aims to protect and promote the rights of indigenous youth, calling attention to issues such as self-governance, the protection of ancestral land, socioeconomic development and the defense of ancestral land. They also stress the importance of indigenous values and traditions in the modern world.

Indigenous people suffer everywhere from the violation and grabbing of their traditional land, and groups that defend the rights of these people especially must call attention to this injustice. This method of land-grabbing is often in the name of development and indigenous people sometimes feel as though they have no choice but to bow to the demands. The loss of land is something that indigenous communities feel most strongly about. The APIYN movement stresses that leadership is important for their communities and that anything is possible when the people show a united face.