Papua New Guinea Brings Government and Civil Society Voices to Regional Dialogue on Responsible Business and Human Rights

With support from UNDP Papua New Guinea, government and civil society representatives from Papua New Guinea participated in the United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum for Asia-Pacific, held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 14–17 September 2026.

September 30, 2026

Large conference hall filled with hundreds of attendees facing a stage with banners. — This marked the first time PNG Government representatives attended the regional Forum.

UNDP

This marked the first time PNG Government representatives attended the regional Forum, providing an opportunity to share the country’s human rights priorities and learn from regional experiences in upholding responsible business and human rights principles.

The delegation included Ms Evelyn Jarua, Acting Director of the Human Rights Secretariat, and Ms Miriam Dondo, Acting Deputy Director of the Human Rights Secretariat, Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG), alongside Theonila Roka Matbob, a civil society representative from Bougainville.

The forum presented an opportunity for stakeholders in PNG to exchange experiences with countries across Asia-Pacific on responsible business practices, human rights due diligence, extractive industries and access to remedy, while sharing its National Human Rights Policy and National Strategy for Human Rights 2024–2029 with regional partners.

Ms Miriam Dondo, the Acting Deputy Director of the Human Rights Secretariat, was among the representatives of the PNG delegation.

UNDP

For Evelyn Jarua, the mission was an important opportunity to contribute PNG’s perspectives to regional discussions and learn from other countries.

“If it took us 30 years to finally have a National Human Rights Policy in place, then so be it. Nation-building was never a race,” she said. “We learn from the world, but ultimately, we must forge our own path in the best interests of our people and future generations.”

With UNDP’s support, PNG’s delegation also brought the perspectives of communities affected by resource development to the regional dialogue. Theonila Roka Matbob, a civil society representative and winner of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize, delivered a keynote address during the Forum’s high-level opening, drawing on the experiences of communities living with the legacy of the Panguna mine in Bougainville.

The mine, which operated from the 1970s until 1989, has had lasting environmental and social impacts on surrounding communities. More than three decades after its closure, efforts continue to address these impacts and support affected communities.

Woman with short curly hair and a pink flower sits at a table with a laptop and microphone. — For Evelyn Jarua, the Acting Director of the Human Rights Secretariat, the forum was an opportunity to tell regional partners about PNG's National Human Rights Policy

UNDP

Following years of community advocacy, the mine operator Rio Tinto agreed to fund an independent impact assessment. In 2024, the company accepted the assessment’s findings. Matbob highlighted the importance of building on this process to deliver meaningful outcomes for the more than 25,000 people living in mine-impacted communities.

“The question for thought in this forum is how can stakeholders start to impact change in our governments’ justice systems? This week, we can continue to learn of new and creative ways to empower and support local people to speak up, insist on a seat at the table and to hold bad actions to account. Importantly, this also requires government to embed and invest in justice systems that are accessible to remote communities, to women, to Indigenous peoples, to customary land holders,” she concluded in her address.

A speaker stands at a wooden podium on a blue-curtained stage. — Theonila Roka Matbob, a civil society representative from Bougainville, delivered a keynote address during the Forum’s high-level opening.

UNDP

Through a joint workplan, UNDP will now continue to work with the Government of Papua New Guinea to translate lessons from the Forum into practical follow-up to advance a PNG-appropriate approach to responsible business and human rights that promotes sustainable development while protecting people, communities and the environment.