Peace Agreements Digital Collection: Bougainville (Papua New Guinea)
Bougainville Peace Agreement
Signed at Arawa
30 August 2001
Introduction and Outline
This agreement is a joint creation by the Government of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and Leaders representing the people of Bougainville ("the Parties") to resolve the Bougainville conflict and to secure a lasting peace by peaceful means.
It is intended to further the objectives of The Burnham Truce, the Lincoln and Ceasefire Agreements and other agreements and understandings between the parties.
This Agreement will be implemented through consultation and co-operation, and will form the basis for drafting constitutional amendments and other laws in order to give legal effect to this Agreement.
The Bougainville Parties will work through the autonomous Bougainville Government when it is formed.
The Agreement has three pillars. They are as follows.
Autonomy
The Agreement provides for arrangements for an autonomous Bougainville
Government operating under a home-grown Bougainville Constitution
with a right to assume increasing control over a wide range of powers,
functions, personnel and resources on the basis of guarantees contained
in the National Constitution.
Referendum
The agreement provides for the right, guaranteed in the National Constitution,
for a referendum among Bougainvilleans’ on Bougainville’s
future political status.
The choices available in the referendum will include a separate independence
for Bougainville.
The referendum will be held no sooner than ten years, and in any case
no later than fifteen years, after the election of the autonomous
Bougainville Government.
The actual date of the referendum will be set taking account of standards
of good governance and the implementation of the weapons disposal
plan.
The outcome of the referendum will be subject to ratification (final
decision making authority) of the National Parliament.
Weapons Disposal Plan
The agreed weapons disposal plan will proceed in stages, area by area
around Bougainville, beginning as soon as is practicable.
After the constitutional amendments implementing this Agreement have
been passed by the National Parliament and by the time they take legal
effect, remaining Defence Force and Police Mobile Unit personnel will
have been withdrawn from Bougainville and weapons will be held in
secure containers.
The containers will have two separate locks with the key to one held
by the United Nations Observer Mission on Bougainville (UNOMB) and
the other by the relevant ex-combatant Commander.
The UNOMB will verify that all parties are acting in accordance with
the agreed weapons disposal plan.
A decision on the final fate of the weapons should be taken within
four and a half months of the constitutional amendments coming into
effect.
Posted by USIP Library on: April 9 2002
Source Name: Text e-mailed from the Adviser to the Papua New Guinea Government on the Bougainville Peace Process
Date e-mailed: October 31 2001
