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The IRC and the Consortium for Assistance to Refugees and Displaced in Indonesia (CARDI) have been awarded a grant to map more than four thousand square kilometers of territory in Papua province in Indonesia. The project aims to strengthen local involvement in sustainable development and support indigenous communities in their effort to gain more control over Papua's rich natural resources.
Papua is one of the most resource-rich provinces of Indonesia, yet its population, especially indigenous Papuans, suffer some of the highest poverty rates in the country. Natural resources are vital to Papua's economic development but control of these resources has been a source of continual conflict.
The IRC/CARDI project will teach communities to use maps as tools for locating natural resources and help them to advocate for changes in resource management policies.
"CARDI is thrilled to be entering a vast new area that presents some of the most urgent humanitarian and development needs in Indonesia today," said Bryan Cox, IRC/CARDI country director.
Financial support for the mapping project is being provided by Irish Aid's Civil Society Fund.
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Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of the state reconstruction agency, BRR, smiles during an interview with Reuters in Jakarta December 19, 2007. More than 100,000 homes destroyed by the Indian Ocean tsunami have ...
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