Papua is one of Indonesia province comprising a majority part of the western half of New Guinea Island and nearby. The province originally covered the entire western half of New Guinea, but in 2003, the western portion of the province, on the Bird's Head Peninsula, was declared in Jakarta as separate province named West Irian Jaya. The legality of this separation has been disputed, as it appears to conflict with the conditions of the Special Autonomy status awarded to Papua in the year 2000.

Ridwan Max Sijabat,
 
The government has issued a regulation officially renaming West Irian Jaya province to West Papua province, a political decision that may not automatically settle the prolonged dispute over the new province's existence.The director general for public administration at the Home Ministry, Sojuangon Situmorang, said the regulation, issued on April 18, gave the Papua and West Papua provincial administrations one year to conduct a public awareness campaign on the new name. While publicizing the new provincial name, anyone and any side can use both names until the new name is used permanently as of April 18, 2008.

Indonesian Papuan citizens living in Papua New Guinea and abroad for the past 40 years can now return to rebuild their homeland in western New Guinea, Logohu Award winner and Chief of IGSSARPRI Franz-Albert Joku while interview with  The National in Port Moresby said that 'West Papuan' community gathering in Erima Parish, Gordon, PNG. He had just returned to Port Moresby after negotiating with Indonesian central government and Papuan provincial government officials on the special autonomy and how West Papuans in PNG and abroad could participate.