Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders hold final meeting ahead of leaders retreat in Vava’u. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Lydia Lewis
Leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, who met on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' summit have decided to collectively approach Indonesia's incoming president Prabowo Subianto regarding concerns about human rights violations against indigenous peoples in West Papua.
The president-elect this month signalled an interest in seeking advice and insights from Papua New Guinea on how to respect the rights of indigenous peoples.
In Tonga, the leaders of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu met to discuss the issue.
RNZ Pacific's Lydia Lewis was there and filed this report.
