Message from the United Nations Resident Coordinator in PNG, Richard Howard

Papua New Guinea achieved significant progress and achievements in 2024, and the UN played an important supporting role. We have leveraged our wide-ranging development expertise to support and provide solutions to these complex problems. The country faced two unprecedented challenges in 2024 – the January riots and the May landslide, both of which attracted international attention.

In January, the civil riots led to more than 20 people losing their lives, many more persons injured, and millions of Kina in loss and damage to property. We recall the fear and trepidation that many of us felt. 

While the government quickly stabalized the situation, we recognize the need to address underlying causes such as high youth unemployment, lack of transparency, and the need for an improved standard of living and improved service delivery for the many PNG citizens. 

The UN played a significant role in assisting the government in addressing some aspects of these underlying causes, using the principle of Leave No One Behind. Our EU-supported Preventing and Countering Corruption in Papua New Guinea Project has made several in-roads towards ending corruption in PNG. Some of our 2024 achievements included public servants being trained on Whistleblower protection, members of the judiciary being trained on judicial integrity and enabling the PNG delegation to take part in the 21st International Anti-Corruption Conference. The PNG Anti-Corruption project will continue in 2025 when more significant achievements are expected.

By May 2024, a landslide in the Maip Mulitaka region of Enga Province caused tremendous damage and fatalities, impacting approximately 9,900 individuals from 1,990 households. Of these, 1,680 individuals from 348 households were displaced. The landslide attracted international attention and humanitarian support. 

The United Nations led from the front in providing support to the communities affected by the landslide. The UN in Papua New Guinea, with major support from international partners, particularly Australia, the United States, Japan and the European Union, provided lifesaving assistance to affected communities, including shelters, clean water, mental health services, and psychosocial support for affected households, in coordination with the Provincial Disaster Committee (PDC). A significant step towards recovery was the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Enga Provincial Government's launch of the "Mulitaka Disaster Recovery Plan", which prioritized restoring livelihoods, strengthening disaster preparedness and ensuring long-term resilience against future disasters. With the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and partners, we continue to uphold the rights of displaced persons during the relocation process in Enga Province, emphasizing voluntary, safe and dignified solutions.  

 The UN's Humanitarian Team, with strong support from Australia, remains ready to assist the people of PNG should further natural disasters arise in the coming year.

The UN continues to be a trusted partner in peacebuilding in Papua New Guinea.

For the Bougainville Peace Agreement, the UN supported the national and Autonomous Regional governments in engaging Sir Jerry Mateparae, former Governor General of New Zealand, as a Moderator to assist in the post-referendum process. With the UN's support, the Joint Supervisory Board agreed on steps to advance the post-referendum dialogue. 

For the Highlands region, the UN successfully concluded phase 1 of the Highlands Joint Programme (HJP), which focused on addressing protracted communal violence through the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus. Our achievements under Phase 1 included enhancing the capacity of traditional and local leadership in conflict management, organizing peace and development dialogues with local officials concerning sorcery accusation-related violence and gender-based violence and conducting peacebuilding and conflict resolution trainings.

Building on the successes of phase 1 of the Highlands Joint Programme, the UN in 2024 implemented the SALIENT (Saving Lives Entity) Project aimed at reducing armed violence in the Highlands region. The UN also launched the Women Peace and Security project to bring on board the critical role that women play in peacebuilding. 

In 2025, we will scale up our support to the Highlands region through phase 2 of the Highlands Joint Programme, bringing on board significant new funding from Australia and New Zealand, with new locations and more comprehensive approaches.

The Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade in Papua New Guinea (EU-STREIT PNG) Programme continues to change lives and improve livelihoods in the Sepik region. The UN implemented applied innovation and the use of new technology in supply chains to add value to produce locally and generate increased income for households. Further, the STREIT programme led to improved food security and nutrition, progressive transformation of food systems in PNG and empowered and skilled MSMEs Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises), farmer groups, households and individuals.

One of the significant achievements of the UN is our collective effort to improve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls at all levels in line with international norms and reporting standards in the implementation of legislation, policies and financing. For example, Serah Maim Nalie from Wewak in East Sepik Province represented the women of PNG, in particular, small businesses and market associations, and travelled to New York to attend the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) early this year, supported by UN Women. She shared her insights on the efforts of the Wewak Market United Vendors Association (WMUVA) and the positive impact it has had on women and their communities.

 In December, the UN launched the new EU-funded 'Soim Wokabout' project to intensify the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in Papua New Guinea. The project aims to improve access to essential services, protection, and justice for GBV survivors, strengthen community mobilization and referral pathways, and promote gender equality and social justice.

The UN's strategic priorities documented in the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2024-2028 are fully aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Strategic Priority Areas of the Medium-Term Development Plan IV (MTDP IV). In 2024, the first year of implementation, the UN implemented USD200 million in projects and programmes covering five strategic areas: Equality for Women and Girls; Governance, Peace and Social Cohesion; Inclusive Human Development; Sustainable Economic Transformation; and Environment and Climate Change. 

In 2025, the UN will continue to be the key development partner supporting PNG's progress towards the SDGs. We look forward to working with the Government, Development Partners, Non-Governmental Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, the Private Sector, and Academia to address the range of development challenges facing Papua New Guinea.

The UN will continue to adhere to the Leave-No-One-Behind principles so that the rights of women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities are considered in all our development programmes.

We are committed to delivering as one UN and extend our deep gratitude to partners and donors for their ongoing support of our mission in Papua New Guinea. 

On behalf of the UN family, I wish you, your colleagues, friends and family a safe and happy holiday season.