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Press Release
15 May 2023
Statement by the United Nations Resident Coordinator on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
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Press Release
03 May 2023
UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR'S MESSAGE FOR WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
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Press Release
30 April 2023
Immunisation saves lives
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Latest
The Sustainable Development Goals in Papua New Guinea
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Papua New Guinea:
Story
02 March 2022
Empowering communities to improve livelihood and promote peace
Hoiebia Village acts as a sanctuary for communities affected by conflict in the Hela Province. Councillor Maureen opened her home to her community and those displaced by conflict back in 2013 when she first became the councillor.
She first started backyard farming because she observed that the community planted only sweet potato and were not exposed to growing other garden foods such as potato, carrots, cabbage and broccoli.
“I lived for 30 years in Mt Hagen, and I saw they planted a lot of variety of vegetables. I wanted to do something similar in my village, so I came back, and mobilized mothers and youths and we started our backyard farming. This was in 2013. We started changing the practice of planting sweet potato mounts to creating plots for different vegetables,” she said.
Her backyard plots have now become a multiplication site and she is supplying seeds, providing training in farming, sewing and horticulture to both the host and displaced communities in Hoiebia. Her ambition is to supply the whole of Hela Province with seeds from her multiplication site and ultimately improving farming practices.
Councillor Maureen said that they initially lacked the skills and knowledge, but persevered. The perseverance paid off when their first partner, the Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) stepped in to assist with basic agriculture training.
Fast forward to 2022, other partners have come on board to assist the community. The United Nations in Papua New Guinea, through its agencies FAO, IOM, and UN Women are supporting Councillor Maureen to help her community.
“I saw that a lot of mothers, their husbands had left them, and they struggled with their children to put food on the table and pay school fees. I’m also a single parent who struggled to put my six children through school. This has motivated us, and we are all working towards a better livelihood for us and our children,” she said.
Councillor Maureen said the UN have given her community a lot of training.
“IOM provided us with a water catchment, FAO trained us on how to plant sweet potato, potato, wheat and rice, UN Women provided baking training and GBV training, Peace training. The National Agriculture Research Institute have also provided farming and animal husbandry. When these trainings came, I noticed that there is change in the community,” she said.
“When we empower women and youth in the community with life skills, there will be peace.” Councillor Maureen aims to build a training center for her community. In 2021, with consent from her community, she invested a ward development grant of K15,000 to co-finance the establishment of a UN-supported community resilience resource centre. This centre will also be equipped with water catchment and storage capacity with the community in Hoiebia having free access to clean water.
On the change she would like to see in four to five years, Councillor Maureen declared, “I would like to see farming practices in Hela change, women and children to be healthy and to have good clothes. Children to go to school.”
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20 March 2022
Provincial GBV Focal Points Leading Community-level Implementation of National GBV Strategy
“Everyone in the Highlands region, they grew up in that kind of environment. I say it's in the DNA.” continues Robin Yakumb.
Robin is the interim GBV Focal Point for Western Highlands Province, one of several individuals around the country appointed to connect families and individuals to government services and legal protections that assist women and children experiencing violence.
In Jiwaka, GBV Focal Point Mary Tol highlighted that local resource constraints have led to perpetrators being set free. “Sometimes the murderers of women and girls are being set free because the police say that there's insufficient evidence to bring them to court.”
These perpetrators are then free to reoffend, leaving women and children vulnerable and communities hesitant to report violence.
On paper, the right of women and children to live free from violence is assured in Papua New Guinea, with protections outlined in the Family Protection Act and Lukautim Pikinini Act, in addition to the Criminal Code. In practice, however, the country has one of highest rates of violence against women and girls in the region.
A persistent challenge for policy-makers and advocates working to end violence against women and girls in Papua New Guinea is ensuring that protections and services established at the national level are available at the village level; that individuals are reporting cases of violence to police, that police have the resources to respond and the appropriate documentation to present to the court, and that village court magistrates apply the law appropriately and do not permit negotiations for compensation.
The National GBV Strategy was launched in 2016 and is a blue print to guide the work of all agencies across the national government, as well as provincial government bodies, civil society organisations and development partners. The National GBV Strategy is underpinned by the understanding that addressing GBV will require strong leadership, a holistic and coordinated approach supported by ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and research.
Responsible for implementing this strategy is the National GBV Secretariat (NGBVS) which, through lack of funding, has faced significant roadblocks. The NGBVS has an interim Director and is not fully staffed.
The Spotlight Initiative, launched in 2020, aims to address the challenges in putting the National GBV Strategy into practice, and key to this is operationalising the National GBV Secretariat.
In Eastern Highlands Province (EHP), Siviri Lalave has been appointed as the provincial GBV Focal Point. She was also a member of the province’s Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee.
“That committee has been like a meeting on ad hoc basis up until 2021 when National Parliamentary Committee on Gender-Based Violence was set up,” said Siviri. “That's the time that the provincial government has seen the importance of having those committees in the provinces set up in addressing this issue.”
“When the government supports, we will see that it will help deliver the services that the people need and women and children, and those who are affected by gender-based violence, get the justice that they need.”
Provincial GBV Focal Points are now developing strategies and plans to address local gaps in institutional capacity to prevent and respond to violence against women and children.
“I'd like to see bringing in all the districts together to come up with their own district strategies,” said Robin. “We need these plans as to how we can address these issues at the district level or the community level.”
“I want funding to be very consistent over five years to ten years,” says Mary. “We don't need a strategy that sits at the corner and collects dust.”
The Spotlight Initiative has supported the appointment of provincial GBV focal points as part of activities to operationalise the National GBV Strategy. Support has also included the development of a National GBV Secretariat website to keep provincial contacts and the general public updated on activities and materials.
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18 March 2022
Milne Bay Provincial Disaster Risk Management Strategy and Standard Operating Procedure Launched Through IOM, USAID Support
The Provincial DRM Strategy and SOP for Milne Bay received technical inputs from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and funding assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance in its development.
This DRM Strategy and SOP is a living document that promotes the localization of the Sendai Framework (2015-2030) principles, contributing to strengthening resilience and reducing disaster losses. It defines the roles and responsibilities of the provincial government and its stakeholders in preparing for, and responding to disasters, including implementing recovery actions following a disaster.
“It is great news for Milne Bay to have its Provincial DRM strategy and SOP to better coordinate disaster risk reduction interventions and emergency response,” said Milne Bay’s Provincial Administrator, Ashan Numa in his remarks at the launch. He highlighted that there had been lack of coordination in DRM matters in the past and launching the DRM Strategy and SOP will improve coordination in in the province.
“The DRM SOP is a guide to help us better respond to emergencies and disaster with the support of our partners, and also provides a leverage to the Milne Bay Integrated Provincial Development Plan,” noted Steven Tobessa, Milne Bay Provincial Disaster Coordinator.
The launch was attended by various stakeholders including Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society, National Airports Corporation, and the National Broadcasting Corporation.
IOM in partnership with the National Disaster Center, continues to support provincial governments to strengthen capacities in DRM, through the Provincial Disaster Centres.
IOM recognizes inadequate funding and insufficient human capacity as a challenge during the implementation, and it remains committed and pro-active to supporting the province in risk management and disaster response.
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20 March 2022
Community Outreach Combats Violence Against Children in Western Highlands Province
Many children in Western Highlands province face multiple forms of violence. In addition to family violence, children are directly and indirectly affected by sorcery accusation related violence.
“When the parents are accused of sorcery, those children are affected very badly because they believe these things they’re told about their parents,” explained Issac Keru from the Archdiocese of Mt Hagen child protection team. “There’s almost no hope for children when their parents are accused.”
Issac also noted the rise in kidnapping and ransom of children in the province. “They get these kids and then later they expect some payment and then the kids will be returned,” he said.
The Archdiocese utilises networks of parishes and schools to raise awareness of violence against children and provides a safe house that provides temporary accommodation to children in need. Issac shared that prevention remains the most important part of the team’s work.
“We have child protection officers and a total of 27 parishes within Western Highlands and Jiwaka where we can offer parenting programs and family programs,” said Issac. “I see the parenting program is important because we have to address childhood development early. When they reach middle age we can’t really do anything because they are grown up and it is difficult for them to change.”
The programs include workshops and community outreach and Issac has noted that demand is high. “From interviews we’ve done with parents, they say that they regret this program didn’t come about earlier.” This same sentiment has been shared by facilitators from the Highlands Youth Rehabilitation and Training College in Banz, Jiwaka Province, which is also implementing a positive parenting program that engages parents in Jiwaka and Simbu.
“Through the Spotlight Initiative the parenting program has reached many parish communities and we’ve seen they go back to their communities and villages and make changes,” said Issac. “I think with the support of Spotlight Initiative, we can reach many more.”
Through the parenting program, the Archdiocese is also promoting other services and programs that seek to address the issue of violence, including counselling and family violence programs.
The Archdiocese of Mt Hagen is supported by the Spotlight Initiative to provide community outreach programs to end violence against children.
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09 April 2021
UN Agencies Continue Support to COVID Prevention and Control Across PNG
UN support to the COVID-19 response in Papua New Guinea has been led by WHO and UNICEF, who are assisting the PNG Government in emergency and humanitarian coordination, clinical management and procurement, risk communications and community engagement, protection and secondary impacts, and socio-economic impact and recovery.
In 2021 we will be welcoming the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines and work with our partners to set a path for recovery, including socio-economic assessments and support to the hardest hit populations.
The weekly COVID-19 National situation report, jointly published by NDOH and WHO, details the scope of the pandemic in PNG and the national response effort. More information on UN assistance provided in 2020 is available at papuanewguinea.un.org.
Here is a look at what we've been doing around the country in March.
Kiunga, Western Province
IOM Installs Handwash Stations at Kiunga Airport, Improves Toilet Facilities in Western Province
IOM completed a comprehensive rehabilitation of the toilet facilities at Kiunga Airport, creating a safer environment for travelers. The team installed a handwash station on entry.
The team installed latrines in several locations including schools, health facilities and local communities, benefitting at least 8,949 people. Installations of solar panels and accessories across several communities has improved lighting of common areas around latrines. This additional light improves the safety especially of women and girls when accessing the facilities at night. IOM estimates this initiative will improve the safety of over 30,000 people in Western Province.
UNFPA Delivers PPE to Kiunga Hospital, Customised Dignity Kits
With the given surge of covid 19 cases, UNFPA supplied various essential PPE to Kiunga Hospital, Western Province and Port Moresby General Hospital. These include 500 reusable face shields, 500 long sleeve gowns, 15,000 examination gloves, 2000 surgical gloves, 30,000 disposal facemask, 300 protective goggles and 44 thermometers. UNFPA locally procured 600 customised Dignity Kits enroute to Kiunga, Western Province.
IOM Provides WASH Supplies to Communities and Defence Personnel in Western Province
IOM distributed soap and water containers to 1,203 people in Western Province, with additional wheelie bins (25), dust bins (14), hand gloves (24) and rubber boots (24). The team supplied collapsible water containers, tents and sleeping bags to the PNG Defence Force Forward Operating Base in Kiunga that is responsible for monitoring points of entry along PNG’s Western Border.
Tari, Hela Province
UNFPA Supports Emergency Response, Provides PPE and Dignity Kits
UNFPA procured and distributed 400 Dignity Kits to displaced women and girls that were affected by the inter-clan violence in Tari Pori District. UNFPA procured 800 PPE to support the participants of a Gender Based Violence in Emergency training and staff at Tari Hospital.
Through the emergency response projects, UNFPA, in partnership with PNG Family Health Association and Hela Provincial Health Authority, established sexual and reproductive health mobile clinics at four sites in Tari, Hela Province to support and provide services to internally displaced women and girls as well as the host community who cannot access the main hospital freely due to ongoing insecurity. Currently the team is conducting training on Minimum Initial Service Package in Tari to 9 males and 8 females with plans to conduct Clinical Management of Rape Training in April. Providing PPE ensures these essential services can remain open and operate safely.
“On a daily basis, we check if the IDP [Internally Displaced People] have any sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), rape cases, pregnant mothers or injuries," sais Sister Mae Lohis, team leader of one of PNG Family Health Association's mobile clinics in Tari. "We are providing the necessary care that they should receive during this time of crisis, including awareness raising on safe sex, family planning, and teenage pregnancies.”
Support to People Living with HIV
UNAIDS works with COVID19-HIV Crisis Group on Support to PLHIV
Together with the COVID19-HIV Crisis Group, including WHO, NDoH, World Vision, USAID, and FHI360, UNAIDS is ensuring services for PLHIV continue to operate during the growing COVID-19 pandemic. The team is also working on messaging surrounding the vaccine for PLHIV and key populations.
With high level of COVID 19 vaccine hesitancy and misconceptions among PLHIV and key populations, UNAIDS have developed a short vaccine acceptability survey deployed by the KP consortium in late March. From the results, the current FAQs will be revised and targeted for this population.
Support to Emergency Services
UNDP Procures Additional Ambulances, Delivers Training to Frontline Medics
UNDP is partnering with the national ambulance service, St John’s Ambulance, to upgrade of a number of ambulances across the country with support from the Government of India. Progress the procurement of new ambulances which will be greatly strengthen the capacity of Papua New Guinea’s health system to respond to COVID’s impacts. A funding agreement with
UNDP has also supported training of frontline medics and the procurement of additional medical equipment to support an expansion of services. This will also contribute to broader strengthening of the health system.
UN agencies have secured funding from Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, United States and the World Bank. Additional support was provided through the UN Secretary General’s Multi-Partner Trust Fund for COVID-19 which ensures UN activities can reach the most at-risk populations during this pandemic. The UN is also engaging with donors to re-programme funding where relevant.
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27 April 2023
Invest in Girls in ICT
The United Nations believes women and girls who are given career opportunities in the digital information, communications and technology industry (ICT) can make significant contributions to the workplace.
ICT is revolutionizing the human experience and transforming lives around the world, yet many women in developing countries often find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide simply because of their gender.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, Richard Howard, said it is time for employers to close the digital divide which too often is propped up by gender inequality.
“Businesses that recruit women and give them the skills to use IT programs and data storage technologies, will be tapping into a whole new productive resource.” Mr. Howard said.
Mr. Howard said he understood that many women and girls in rural provinces do not have access to computers or the internet and that access to such technology can serve as a basis for challenging gender norms which tend to hold women and girls back.
International Girls Day is a great opportunity to challenge us to find ways to leverage technology to improve the lives of women and girls at every stage of the life course.
END
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10 November 2022
Communities Affected by Conflict Pledge to Promote Peace
Port Moresby – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to work with local authorities in Southern Highlands and Hela provinces to empower women and youth, establish the resilience of local communities at risk of displacement from human-induced and natural hazards and sustain peace in the areas.
With the financial support from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, IOM is empowering local communities, including women and youth from Mapata, Pira (Southern Highlands), Tenggo, Idawi, and Papeli (Hela), to nurture and implement community peace and development plans (CPDPs). As part of its interventions, IOM enhanced the peacebuilding knowledge and skills of 44 women, men, and youth from the target communities. Local authorities in Southern Highlands province were also equipped with the knowledge to sustain peace and promote community-driven development through training on inclusive peacebuilding and development planning.
Held in Mt. Hagen town, the training brought together community members from Mapata and Pira, as well as officials from Kagua-Erave district and Aiya local level government in Southern Highlands province.
The training covered various topics, including the root causes and negative consequences of conflict, the participation of women and youth in peacebuilding and sustainable development, and risk reduction measures that could help contribute to building community resilience.
“We need more of this kind of training for our community members. The knowledge we received through this training will help reduce violence in the communities,” said pastor Francis Benny, CPDP training participant. Pastor Benny noted that more people, especially youth, should be targeted with the training that helps promote peace.
Participants upskilled by IOM on peacebuilding and development will co-facilitate the 5-day community planning sessions with IOM and jointly draft the CPDPs. Also, they are expected to provide the capacity building training for members of their communities, including women and youth, on peacebuilding and development planning with knowledge they acquired from the training.
Two conflicted groups, including their leaders, known as ‘warlords,’ also participated in the training, agreeing to peacefully resolve their differences and work collectively towards the improvement of their community to sustain peace.
“We have been fighting, and we all know that this is not good. From now onwards, let us go back and work together. Caring for one another is what our culture promotes,” said Mary Wapi, a local community member.
“We do not want to fight anymore. You will remember that we committed ourselves to reconciliation at the time IOM visited our community,” noted a community leader and CPDP training participant, Robert Tawe. “We will work together and develop our plan. This is our commitment to promoting peace.”
Implemented under the “Preventing Climate-Induced Conflicts Through Empowered Women Leadership” project, the interventions by IOM include delivering training for inclusive community facilitation teams, co-facilitating with trained community members community-level planning sessions to draft the CPDPs, and implementing the drafted plans.
The Preventing Climate-Induced Conflicts Through Empowered Women Leadership project is part of the United Nations Highlands Joint Programme.
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SDGs: 5, 10, 16
For further information, please contact at IOM Port Moresby, Getachew Mekuria, Tel: +675 4 3213655 Email: gmekuria@iom.int or Peter Murorera, Tel: +675 321 36 55, Email: pmurorera@iom.int
For further information, please contact at IOM Port Moresby, Getachew Mekuria, Tel: +675 4 3213655 Email: gmekuria@iom.int or Peter Murorera, Tel: +675 321 36 55, Email: pmurorera@iom.int
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03 November 2022
Displaced Families Welcome Food Aid from IOM and USAID
Port Moresby – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to assess and assist communities displaced as a result of election-related violence in the Highlands region.
As part of the response, IOM delivered emergency shelter kits and non-food items to 615 households (3,921 people) in Mendi-Munhiu and Nipa districts in Southern Highlands province. IOM has also started distributing food rations to address the food insecurity situation facing the displaced communities.
With financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), IOM has distributed food rations to 250 households (1,350 people) that were displaced from Tupiri and Old Compound communities, to neighbouring villages in Mendi town. IOM is targeting an additional 750 displaced households (approximately 3,975 people) with the food rations.
The displacement tracking assessment conducted by IOM, local authorities, and partners identified 1,977 persons that were displaced from Old Compound and Tupiri communities by the conflict that happened in Mendi town in August 2022 and are yet to return to their homes.
IOM worked closely with the leadership from the displacement-affected communities and Southern Highlands Provincial Administration to identify the most vulnerable population such as persons living with disabilities, old persons, and women heads of household, to target with food aid.
“This assistance is a huge relief to us. We needed help, especially the mothers and children because they are affected the most by the fighting,” said Luke Welin, a community member from Old Compound.
The distribution of food rations by IOM took place in Mendi town, and the food rations kit comprises of rice, cooking oil, tinned fish, sugar, and iodized salt that would last for up to two months.
In total, IOM distributed 30.5 tonnes of rice, 1,875 litres of cooking oil, 4.6 tonnes of tinned fish, 1.125 tonnes of sugar, and 0.375 tonnes of iodized salt.
With support from UNICEF and working in partnership with the Southern Highlands Provincial Health Authority, IOM will supply the target communities with nutrient supplements for children.
“Our properties and backyard food gardens were destroyed during the conflict, leaving many families with little, or no resources to fend for themselves,” said Joanne Epi, a church leader and women’s representative in Old Compound community. “You gave us cooking utensils and emergency shelter materials and have come back to give us food. Thank you, IOM and USAID,” added Joanne.
Funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and USAID/BHA, IOM continues to work in partnership with local authorities to assess communities displaced by election related violence, including providing relief assistance in the form of shelter kits, food rations, and non-food items.
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For further information, please contact IOM Port Moresby, Getachew Mekuria, Tel: +675 4 3213655 Email: gmekuria@iom.int or Peter Murorera, Tel: +675 321 36 55, Email: pmurorera@iom.int
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Story
16 August 2022
United Nations remains committed to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea
On 16 August, the United Nations Resident Coordinator a.i. Mr. Themba Arthur Kalua had a bilateral meeting with Mr Koney Samuel, Secretary of the Department of Planning and Monitoring (DNPM). During the meeting, Mr Kalua expressed the continued support of the United Nations to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea and discussed Papua New Guinea's Mid-Term Development Plan IV (MTDP-IV) and the next UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
The United Nations has embarked on the development of the next United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for Papua New Guinea and will do so in close consultation with the Government of Papua New Guinea. The UNSDCF is nationally owned, and anchored in national development priorities, the 2030 Agenda and the principles of the UN Charter.
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10 July 2022
The Commonwealth Secretariat Observer Group in Papua New Guinea for National General Elections 2022
UN Resident Coordinator a.i. Mr. Dirk Wagener, met with the Commonwealth Secretariat Observer Group that is currently in Papua New Guinea to observe the 2022 General Elections.
The Commonwealth Secretariat Observer Group, led by H.E. Mr. Baron Waqa, former President of Nauru, and comprising a wide range of experts on various electoral processes met with Mr. Wagener to discuss and gain an understanding of electoral processes in Papua New Guinea.
Mr. Wagener said, “The Commonwealth Secretariat, together with other observer groups, was invited to observe the general elections by the Government of Papua New Guinea. Electoral observers play an important role as they, through their observation of the different stages of the electoral process, help to ensure that elections are conducted in a transparent and credible manner. Their findings and recommendations constitute valuable suggestions to improve the electoral process in Papua New Guinea”.
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Press Release
15 May 2023
Statement by the United Nations Resident Coordinator on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).
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
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Press Release
03 May 2023
UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR'S MESSAGE FOR WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
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.
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Press Release
30 April 2023
Immunisation saves lives
The United Nations has launched its global initiative, ‘The Big Catchup’, with the aim of vaccinating millions of children against potentially fatal diseases.
The resourceful project is part of the UN’s World Immunization Week which is observed annually from 24 to 30 April.
The program is conducted by UN agencies WHO and UNICEF in collaboration with the Government of PNG, Gavi and other global immunisation partners.
Vaccination is recognised as the most effective method of protecting communities from the ravages of diseases like coronavirus, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, hepatitis B and HPV. These diseases can strike without discrimination or warning, have lasting consequences or kill victims.
UNICEF recently-released, State of the World’s Children’s Report 2023, drew attention to the importance of vaccine awareness and the need for confidence in the immunisation process.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, Mr. Richard Howard, said it is important to remember that vaccines have been prolonging human life since 1796, when a smallpox vaccine was invented by physician, Edward Jenner.
“Without vaccines, the COVID death toll would have far exceeded 6.9 million people. World Immunization Week is a timely reminder about the importance of inoculating children to protect individuals and maintain overall community health,” Mr. Howard said.
In less than three years, the COVID-19 pandemic put at risk the long-term health of hundreds-of-millions of people. Health care workers responded to the pandemic by orchestrating the most complex vaccination campaign in history.
The COVID-19 pandemic created enormous pressures on health systems and medical professionals who often were overwhelmed by the rapid spread of the disease.
Systematic, controlled immunisation not only protects people but reduces the burden on hospitals and care facilities.
In the Western Pacific Region, the number of zero-dose children increased by 45 percent from around 960,000 in 2019 to 1.4 million in 2021.
Papua New Guinea's National Department of Health statistics, shows there were nearly 280,000 children who had not received a vaccination during the past two years.
The Big Catch-up aims to reach those children and increase immunisation coverage back to the trajectory goals of the Global Immunization Agenda 2030.
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Press Release
07 March 2023
United Nations urges stronger action to end the scourge of violence in PNG communities.
One incident allegedly involved sustained violence against four school cleaners accused of sorcery in Porgera, Enga Province.
In a separate incident, it is alleged that a primary school girl was taken as a sex slave in the Fugwa area of Hela Province.
“These incidents must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. It is unacceptable that in the 21st Century so many women and young girls are living in fear simply because of their gender,” said Mr Richard Howard, the UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea. He described as “deplorable” the “senseless acts of violence, isolation, and marginalisation being perpetrated against females in the country and against the backdrop of International Women’s Day.”
The UN calls for accountability and an end to impunity for all forms of violence against women and girls in Papua New Guinea. These incidents, like others reported all too frequently in recent years, show total disregard for human dignity. These continued abuses show deep-rooted discrimination against women and girls and are utterly unacceptable, and we need to accelerate a concerted effort to end all forms of violence.
Mr. Howard said, “the UN denounces the harmful and illegal practice of Sorcery Accusation Related Violence (SARV) and any form of violence, slavery, and trafficking. It is a matter of urgency that authorities intensify their efforts to rid Papua New Guinea’s communities of the scourge of gender-based violence”.
The UN and its partners are always prepared to assist, but the State of PNG has the primary responsibility to ensure the safety of all persons, particularly its most vulnerable members of society.
That responsibility extends to facilitating safe, unimpeded and sustained support to those affected by this violence.
Mr. Howard said survivors of violence can seek support through the UN for services associated with health care, accommodation and reintegration.
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Press Release
17 January 2023
NEWLY APPOINTED UNITED NATIONS RESIDENT COORDINATOR MR. RICHARD STEPHEN HOWARD PRESENTS CREDENTIALS
The official presentation took place at the Office of the Minister in Port Moresby.
Minister Tkatchenko welcomed Mr. Howard to Papua New Guinea and congratulated him on the appointment. “I am looking forward to working closely with the UN and work towards bringing long-term benefits to the people of Papua New Guinea,” said Minister Tkatchenko.
In presenting his credentials, Mr Howard expressed his enthusiasm for working in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea and development partners to promote efficiency and accountability as the organization develops its next Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the UN system’s five-year programming instrument that will capture the entire footprint of the UN agencies, funds and programmes in the country. “The UN is here to support the Government in delivering results for the Papua New Guineans,” said Mr Howard.
The Resident Coordinator is the representative of the UN Secretary General in Papua New Guinea and leads the UN Country Team, consisting of 17 resident and non-resident UN agencies, funds and programmes.
Mr Howard has more than 30 years of experience in management and research experience, including economic growth and decent job creation, gender equality and inclusion with the private sector, non-government organizations, and the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific.
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BACKGROUND NOTE
Richard Howard of the United States is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea. He was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with the host Government’s approval. He took up his post on 7 December 2022 and will serve in his role as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Designated Official for Security.
Mr Howard has more than 30 years of experience in management and research experience, including economic growth and decent job creation, gender equality and inclusion with the private sector, non-government organizations, and the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific. He recently served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim, and International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Director in Nepal.
Prior to this, Mr. Howard worked as Senior Regional Specialist with ILO in Bangkok, Thailand, Chief Technical Advisor, Private Sector Partnerships on Health for Internal Migrants in Beijing, China, as Asia Regional Programme Manager, Private Sector Partnerships for Health with FHI360 (formerly Family Health International) and as Director of Research (Industry Analysis and Market Strategies) with Castle Asia both in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Mr. Howard was a Fulbright scholar in Indonesia with research focusing on gender, ethnicity, and national identity. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina. FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES Nicole Jeune Programme, Communications and Advocacy, UN Resident Coordinator's Office Email: nicole.mimarijeune@un.org
Prior to this, Mr. Howard worked as Senior Regional Specialist with ILO in Bangkok, Thailand, Chief Technical Advisor, Private Sector Partnerships on Health for Internal Migrants in Beijing, China, as Asia Regional Programme Manager, Private Sector Partnerships for Health with FHI360 (formerly Family Health International) and as Director of Research (Industry Analysis and Market Strategies) with Castle Asia both in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Mr. Howard was a Fulbright scholar in Indonesia with research focusing on gender, ethnicity, and national identity. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology from the University of Illinois Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina. FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES Nicole Jeune Programme, Communications and Advocacy, UN Resident Coordinator's Office Email: nicole.mimarijeune@un.org
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