World Humanitarian Day is an annual campaign by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to commemorate anniversary of the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003 On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed twenty-two (22) humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day (WHD). Each year, WHD focuses on a theme, bringing together partners from across the humanitarian system to advocate for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises. The day also reinforces the need for the safety and security of aid workers. The focus this year is on the importance, effectiveness and positive impact of humanitarian work. No matter the danger or the hardships, humanitarians venture deep into disaster-stricken regions and work at the front lines of conflict, while striving to protect people in need. This year’s theme: #NoMatterWhat. Despite the work being difficult and dangerous, humanitarians accept the challenges with a commitment to overcome and deliver life-saving assistance to people in need. Mr. Howard said, “It is imperative that the government invests in disaster management and disaster risk reduction to enable the national and provincial governments to adequately respond to a nationwide-scale emergency”. Mr. Howard acknowledged the DMT Members, development partners; World Bank, DFAT, EU, Japan, MFAT, USAID, and the Red Cross Movement, World Vision, Caritas, PNG Council of Churches, ADRA, CARE, MAF, ChildFund, Equal Playing Field, MSF, Oxfam, Plan and Save the Children, for their continued humanitarian worked in Papua New Guinea. ENDS   //////////////////////////////////////// Background Papua New Guinea (PNG) is highly exposed to natural disasters and the impacts of climate change. People across the country are particularly exposed to seasonal drought, flooding, and associated hazards such as landslides. Most of the country’s population is exposed to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Biosecurity threats have also placed the nation’s food supply in jeopardy. There are 94 active volcanoes in PNG, the most active being Manam; Kadovar; Lamington; Langila; Ulawun; Rabaul; and Bagana. The total population living within 30km of a volcano is estimated to be more than 1 million people or 17% of the population. In light of the recent volcanic eruption of Mt Bagana in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), humanitarians are on the ground coordinating the delivery of relief supplies and ensuring no one is left behind. United Nations Resident Coordinator in PNG, Mr. Richard Howard, acknowledges the hard work of the humanitarian workers attending to the Mt Bagana Eruption in AROB. On 31 July, the National Disaster Centre (NDC) of Papua New Guinea formally welcomed international support through the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office to formally respond to Mt Bagana Volcano affected populations in Wakunai and Torokina districts. Pursuant to this request, the UN through the Disaster Management Team (DMT) and the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG), deployed a multi-agency team to conduct assessments of humanitarian impacts of the volcano and to advise development partners on basic needs and priorities of the affected populations. The team was deployed on 7 August and comprised of cluster experts in protection, water, and sanitation (WASH), information management, logistics and emergency operations coordination. The multi-agency team were further supported by shelter, camp coordination/camp management (CCCM) and food security officers from IOM and FAO who had presence on the ground. UN’s Plan moving forward to address disasters The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) maintained a country office in PNG from 2009 until 2015. During that time, it established a Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) that remains in place as the Disaster Management Team (DMT), which is co-chaired by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the Director of the National Disaster Centre, the country’s national disaster management agency, which currently sits under the Ministry of Defence. The DMT includes among its members UN cluster lead agencies, international NGOs, faith-based organizations, the Red Cross Movement, and key development partners. Since 2016, the DMT, at the request of the national government, has mobilised international resources for at least one disaster or crisis each year. Beginning with El Niño-related drought and food insecurity in 2016; Kadovar volcanic eruption displacement in 2018; Highlands earthquake displacement and polio outbreak in 2018; early action planning for El Niño-related drought, Ulawun volcanic eruption displacement and a small refugee emergency in 2019, COVID-19 in 2020, Election-related violence in 2022 and the recent Bagana volcanic eruption this year. The UN in PNG is keen on advancing its current interventions on humanitarian coordination and disaster/emergency management through building organizational/institutional capacity of frontline first responder government agencies including the PNG National Disaster Centre and Provincial Disaster Coordination offices. 

UNOPS supports the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to fulfil its commitment to delivering essential services to the people of Papua New Guinea. Through initiatives focused on critical and climate-resilient infrastructure, health infrastructure, waste management, procurement and project management support, UNOPS continues to contribute to the sustainable development of the country.   Recently, UNOPS held a workshop for interested companies to support their understanding of how to respond to available tender opportunities through UNOPS portfolio of work in PNG. The workshop enabled companies to learn how to search, register and fulfil tender criteria through the United Nations Global Market portal (UNGM) and the UNOPS website. It also gave basic information about how UNOPS handles procurement, including how proposals are requested and evaluated for different types of submissions. The workshop received overwhelmingly positive feedback from over 70 attendees, including both in person and online. Participants commended UNOPS for its exceptional support in helping companies understand the eligibility requirements for partnering with them. Expressing the same sentiments was Imelda Torie who stated, “The detailed criteria for assessing tender responses is highly encouraging to those who would like to see development activities and initiatives for PNG delivered in full and on time adhering to quality standards.” UNOPS has been active in the region since 2019 and its portfolio of work is rapidly expanding with activities already taking place in a number of provinces both in the highlands and coastal regions of PNG. UNOPS is keen on partnering with eligible local companies to progress its commitments to international donor partners and the Government of PNG and a range of tenders will be advertised throughout the remainder of 2023.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About UNOPS: UNOPS mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development. We help the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, and deliver sustainable infrastructure and procurement in an efficient way. We respond to our partner’s needs in the world’s most challenging environments, by combining the best of the UN and the private sector, as we build foundations for countries to achieve sustainable development. Read more: www.unops.org

PORT MORESBY, 17 MAY 2023 - The United Nations remains committed to working with its development partners in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to protecting and defending the human rights of all people. An equal world depends on recognizing and respecting diverse identities and hence, the theme for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) this year is “Together always: United in diversity.” PNG has made considerable progress and endorsed the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has also ratified six international Human Rights treaties since 2008 but is yet to establish a National Human Rights Commission. However, PNG criminalizes lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans (LGBT) people under the Criminal Code 1974, Section 210 on Unnatural Offences. This legislation, based on Queensland Criminal Code from colonial times, only criminalizes sexual activity between males. The law is silent on female and cross gender activity. It is now time for PNG to reform such outdated colonial period legislation to recognize human rights and equality for all, including LGBT people All actors must embrace diversity and inclusion and better protect individuals from discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and diversity.  This includes identifying and addressing the root causes of stigma, discrimination, and various forms of violence.  Discrimination experienced by LGBT and gender diverse people harms these individuals directly both physically and psychosocially.  In addition, it leads to marginalization and negatively impacts their ability to fully realize all their human rights, including access to government services, health, family life, work, and others. Root causes of discrimination against marginalized groups of people must be called out, putting human rights as an essential element of the 2030 Agenda and its promise to leave no one behind. Promoting equality and human rights of all humans will continue to be at the heart of the United Nations’ work across countries. The United Nations supports and upholds the fundamental human rights and dignity of all people. END

A unified celebration of World Press Freedom Day was today hosted jointly by the United Nations and media companies in Papua New Guinea. Acknowledging World Press Freedom Day is particularly significant in 2023 because it is 30 years since the UN’s General Assembly proclaimed the public’s inalienable right to freedom of expression.  Around the world, media freedoms are being eroded. Journalists are frequently intimidated. World Press Freedom Day is also a time to reflect and pay tribute to the 430 journalists globally who were silenced by death or imprisonment in 2022. This year also coincides with the 75th Anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to be observed on 10th December. The theme for World Press Freedom Day, “Shaping the Future with Rights”, reaffirms freedom of expression as a driver for the progress of humanity. The UN’s Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, Mr. Richard Howard, said a free media is one of the cornerstones of democracy.  “When transparency is nurtured, justice succeeds. Journalists have a responsibility to deliver the facts needed for the public to make informed decisions on the type of society they want for their country, Mr. Howard said. Mr. Howard said a journalist’s focus is to publicise the truth by reporting without fear or favour in an open environment. He said, journalists who embrace a Code of Ethics are more likely to discharge their obligations of serving the nation as honest brokers for the people. “Media outlets are to be commended for the extraordinary volume of news they publish over the course of a year. It is even more important in the digital age because people must be able to trust the media to counter misinformation often dressed up as fact on social media platforms,” said Mr. Howard. There is a need for journalists to receive standardised training and the ongoing challenge of low wages and poor working conditions has still not been addressed. Such issues have resulted in many A-Grade journalists leaving the industry for communications positions in other sectors.