This decision was reached on 21 June 2023, during a dialogue hosted by the Department for Community Development and Religion (DfCDR) at Sambra Haus, Port Moresby. DfCDR’s partnership with UNDP facilitated this latest initiative which was attended by senior officials from the Departments of Health, Education, Justice and Attorney General, National Planning and Monitoring, and Treasury.

Papua New Guinea remains one of the most gender unequal countries in the world. Over two thirds of Papua New Guinean women report to have experienced some form of violence in their lives and survivors often face barriers in accessing justice and other support services.

The funding required to address the impacts of this violence on families, communities and the nation remains far outweighed by the scale of the problem. DfCDR and UNDP’s very visible joint advocacy for action has included calls for more comprehensive sector-wide action. A first step to this is how services are funded and better coordinated to maximise their impact for victims, survivors and their families.  

“DfCDR has a critical role to play in addressing gender-based violence. But success will only come when we all commit to action. We know that resources are not enough. The ones we have, however, need to go further. A first step is bringing these resources together in a way that ensures greater clarity and coordination among those delivering invaluable services on the front lines,” the Secretary of DFCDR, Mr. Jerry Ubase said.  

During the dialogue, senior officials assessed the hurdles faced in tackling gender-based violence including sorcery accusation related violence, as well as possible models for achieving greater service delivery and funding coherence. Delegates reached agreement to develop a joint budget submission for 2024 to be considered as part of national budget preparations.  

UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Dirk Wagener, commended this initiative saying, “This is a positive and necessary next step to progress efforts to eliminate what has become one of Papua New Guinea’s greatest impediments to national development. UNDP remains deeply committed to this work and our partnership with Government, civil society, the private sector and communities for action.”

Officials agreed to progress this initiative in ongoing partnership with UNDP.  

For more information, please contact:
Juho Valta 
Communications Analyst, UNDP Papua New Guinea 
juho.emil.aleksi.valta@undp.org 
+67579663712