Central Pomio LLG, East New Britain – March 2025: Cocoa farmers in Central Pomio LLG are embracing a transformative budding initiative under the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Food Systems, Land Use, and Restoration (FOLUR) project. Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the "Establishing Systems for Sustainable Integrated Land-Use Planning Across New Britain Island" project, this initiative is enhancing cocoa productivity and sustainability in the region.From February 21 to March 7, 2025, 30 farmers from six targeted communities—Galuwe, Marmar, Pomio, Sali, Olaipun 1, and Olaipun 2—underwent intensive training in cocoa budding techniques. Led by six certified cocoa budders and supervised by the Cocoa Board of PNG, the training aimed to improve cocoa quality and yield by equipping farmers with essential skills in budding and nursery management. Each community selected five participants—three males and two females—who, upon meeting performance standards, will become certified budders, strengthening local expertise and ensuring sustainability.  The Cocoa Board of PNG provided 18 varieties of cocoa clone materials to establish budwood gardens across the six sites. These gardens are expected to boost productivity, reduce pest infestations, and enhance yields in the long run. Donald Songavare, a research officer with Cocoa Board’s Breeding Section with his team, played a crucial role in assessing and tagging different cocoa clone varieties for certification (in the existing four budwood gardens of farmers in the community).“Quality cocoa starts with high-standard planting materials, and the Cocoa Board has put in place guidelines to ensure farmers receive the best materials,” Songavare said.He emphasized that only researched and approved cocoa clones should be planted, with Tavilo currently serving as the main seed garden.Meanwhile, Agmark is preparing to ship nursery materials to Central Pomio, with the Cocoa Board's technical guidance ensuring the establishment of 14 nurseries—seven in Central Pomio and seven in Inland Baining—starting in April 2025.Local ward members and experienced cocoa budders from Cocoa Board have also expressed their enthusiasm for the initiative.“For years, our farmers have struggled with aging cocoa trees and low yields. This training is giving them the knowledge and skills to revitalize their farms and secure better incomes for their families,” said Marmar Ward Member in Central Pomio, Hon William Longkale.Hon Peter Mire, another Ward Member from Galue, emphasized the long-term benefits of adopting best practices in cocoa management. “This is more than just a training session; it’s a step towards ensuring that our cocoa industry remains strong for future generations. The farmers now understand the significance of nursery management and proper budding techniques.”Mr. Jerry Ben, Senior Extension Officer from the Cocoa Board highlighted the dedication and enthusiasm of the farmers.“We are impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication of the farmers. They are keen to learn, and with continued support, we believe they can significantly improve their cocoa production,” said Mr Ben.Peter Kuplie, a cocoa budder, added, “Budding is an effective way to introduce high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties. The farmers here have shown great interest, and we are confident that they will apply these techniques to rejuvenate their cocoa farms.”The training included aligning the budwood gardens associated with cocoa nursery sites for each community, supplied with 180 budded materials which will become the source of clone materials for each community with support from Central LLG into the future.  With cocoa playing a vital role in the local economy, initiatives like these are crucial for empowering farmers and fostering resilience in the face of climate and market challenges. As the project progresses, stakeholders, including the District Rural Development Office (DRDO) Pomio District, and the East New Britain Provincial Administration’s Division of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), are committed to ongoing collaboration to revitalize cocoa farming in Central Pomio LLG. The community remains hopeful that this budding initiative will mark the beginning of a brighter future for the cocoa industry., filtered_html

Kimbe, West New Britain – From 6 to 9 February 2025, the UNDP Global Environment facility (GEF) Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) Tashi Dorji, and Sean Lees, the Nature Pledge (Biodiversity and Sustainability) Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, conducted a site visit to West New Britain Province, under the “Sustainable Finance of Papua New Guinea's Protected Area Network” (SFPNGPAN GEF 6) and the “Establishing Systems for Sustainable Integrated Land-Use Planning across New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea” (GEF 7-Folur) Projects, in partnership with the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA). Tashi and Sean were accompanied by the project staff to strengthen the collaboration with key stakeholders at the sub-national level, assess the progress of initiatives focused on protected area management, biodiversity conservation and sustainable land-use practices at specific project sites.  Supporting Papua New Guinea’s Protected Areas and CommunitiesUnder the GEF 6 project, UNDP is working to improve the financial sustainability and management effectiveness of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) protected areas. The project has introduced enabling conditions for financing and governance, established a Biodiversity Climate Fund, and is piloting site-level interventions to enhance sustainability of financing via identification and implementation of livelihoods reflected in a Business Plan. This work is being done in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), who is the Project’s implementing partner at the (4) identified Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) pilot sites in Kimbe Bay in West New Britain Province, the wetlands of Upper Sepik River in East Sepik Province and the terrestrial environment in Mount Wilhelm, Simbu Province. The team visited the Lolobau LMMA in Kimbe Bay which is known to harbor more than 400 species of hard coral and an estimated 900 species of reef fish, where the Management Committee and the community presented their updates. They also presented their Management Plan and highlighted their women group’s livelihood initiative in coconut oil production and value-added products such as soaps, cooking oil and oils for the skin where they had presented earlier at the 2023 Protected Areas Forum. They have also recently become a grant recipient of the Blue Economy Enterprise Incubation Facility UNDP Project and had been waiting for their first tranche disbursement from the Grant. Opportunities to tap into other grant facilities were also made known to them. The site visit confirmed that the LMMA had taken ownership and are able to manage their LMMA after the GEF 6 SFPNGPAN Project ceases operations. The need to link up with markets is important, so that the Project has linked up with the Women in Export workshop in March, for the Lolobau LMMA women representative to showcase their protected areas initiatives, to assist with marketing and training capacity building opportunities. Management and Business Plans, which will further support local conservation efforts, including sustainable financing. It is important that sustainable livelihood initiatives also allocate a portion of funding to facilitate the upkeep of the management of the protected areas.   Transforming Agricultural Landscapes for SustainabilityUNDP is also aiming to improve agricultural ecosystems and policies through collaborations with land managers, governments, researchers, the private sector and the financial institutions to boost economic growth and benefit human health under its “Establishing Systems for Sustainable Integrated Land-Use Planning across New Britain Island in Papua New Guinea” GEF 7-FOLUR project. This project is a Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) seven-year impact program funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the World Bank.The project has been assisting the Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) with Best Management Practice block demonstration training for smallholder growers. The RTA and mission team met with OPIC Extension officials and block owners on a demonstration block at Mataururu in East Nakanai Local Level Government and were provided with an overview of the current small holder extension work, challenges and opportunities for further collaboration with the project.   Building Partnerships for Lasting ImpactA key highlight of the visit was the inclusion of the West New Britain Provincial Administration staff, to strengthen the partnerships amongst the Government, community-based organisations and UNDP. The link with government is crucial for sustainability post Project life.  Additional collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), OPIC and local stakeholders reinforced the commitment to enhancing livelihoods through conservation-focused community engagement.  Looking AheadThe mission provided the RTA and the Nature Pledge Coordinator with an in-depth understanding of the challenges and successes of the GEF 6 and GEF 7 initiatives in the West New Britain Province. As PNG continues its efforts in conservation, sustainable land management, and community resilience, these partnerships remain crucial in ensuring a balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth. PNG has also been selected as a pilot site for the Nature Pledge initiative, so the mission also added to the information knowledge of PNG via the fact that the Kimbe Bay is an important coral reef site in the region and is one of the important sites of the Coral Triangle Initiative as well. , filtered_html

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. *** 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 , filtered_html

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.   *** 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 , filtered_html