220826 DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND HONOURABLE – RATIFY THE REFERENDUM OUTCOME WITHOUT UNNECESSARY DELAY

The President of the Bougainville Women’s Federation, Barbara Tanne issued a strong call to the Members of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea to ratify the result of the 2019 Bougainville Referendum on Independence without unnecessary delay.

The call was made on Thursday August 20, 2026, during a press conference at the North Bougainville Women’s Innovation Hub at Hahela in Buka when she issued a joint press statement from the women of Bougainville.

The call comes ahead of the National Parliament’s scheduled deliberation on the referendum outcome set for August 27, 2026.

President Tanne called on the National Parliament to consider and deliberate on the outcome with respect, honour and dignity.

“It is seven years now and the people of Bougainville have long waited patiently in good faith for the Government of Papua New Guinea to follow the agreed peace process and do what is right, honourable and deserved by the people of Bougainville”, she said. “Formally ratifying Bougainville’s choice for independence expressed in a constitutionally guaranteed referendum is respecting the explicit democratic mandate delivered by the people of Bougainville”, says Tanne.

The statement recalls women’s role before, during and after the Bougainville crisis. As mothers and custodians of the land through customary matrilineal heritage, women have played a vital internationally recognised role in ending the civil war and restoring peace in Bougainville. They carried the heaviest burdens during years of conflict. They marched, prayed, and negotiated to help bring about the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement.

The statement also highlights the legacy of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA), which guaranteed the democratic right to self- determination as foundation for ending the civil war in Bougainville. It recalls the international accreditation, noting that the international observer teams including representatives from Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the Pacific Islands Forum accredited the election as free, fair, and peaceful.

On the same note, President Tanne expressed that peace was built on the promise that the voice of the people of Bougainville be heard and it is upon this same promise that the will of the people be respected and recognised.

The statement cites Bougainville’s 1975 Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) proclaimed on September 1, fifteen days before Papua New Guinea attained its independence from Australia on 16 September 1975 reaffirming that Bougainvilleans never freely ceded their underlying sovereignty.

President Tanne reaffirmed the women’s readiness to support local leadership through the transition, calling on national leaders to honour the peace process, respect the 97.7% referendum outcome, and fulfill the constitutional journey without further delay and let the people of Bougainville free.