Sorong – The PAPEDA Summit 2026 has become a strategic platform for strengthening collaboration among the central government, regional governments, indigenous communities, civil society organizations, development partners, academics, and the private sector to promote inclusive and sustainable development in Papua that delivers tangible benefits to local communities.
The forum, held in Sorong City, Southwest Papua, from September 2 to 4, 2026, carries the spirit of Papua Action for Development, Economy, and Sustainable Nature (PAPEDA), focusing on development that places people, nature, and culture as its fundamental pillars.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, while inaugurating the PAPEDA Summit 2026, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating broad opportunities for dialogue in determining Papua’s development direction, in accordance with the needs of its people while preserving the region’s abundant natural resources.
He emphasized that Papua’s development requires strong communication and cooperation between the central government, regional administrations, indigenous communities, and all stakeholders to ensure that policies genuinely address the real needs and challenges faced by local communities.
The government, he added, is also paying particular attention to ensuring the availability of affordable food for communities across Papua. Strengthening local food production is considered an important step toward reducing dependence on supplies from outside the region while improving community welfare.
In addition to food security, the PAPEDA Summit 2026 also discusses a range of strategic issues, including the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights, community-based forest and marine management, food and energy sovereignty, ecotourism development, green financing, and biodiversity-based economic development.
The forum also promotes an integrated ridge-to-reef development approach, connecting mountainous areas, coastal regions, and marine ecosystems as part of efforts to maintain a balance between economic development and environmental sustainability.
The PAPEDA Summit 2026 is expected to serve not merely as a forum for discussion, but also as a platform for producing concrete collaboration and actions to strengthen development across the six provinces of Papua.
Papua’s development, ultimately, is expected to optimize the region’s vast natural resources without neglecting the rights of indigenous communities, environmental sustainability, and the interests of future generations.
Through the forum, all stakeholders are encouraged to develop a shared vision that the success of Papua’s development should not be measured solely by the scale of investment or the exploitation of natural resources, but by the extent to which the benefits of development are distributed fairly and sustainably among the people of Papua.
