Project Description

The GBV/SARV programme is a dedicated component of the Highlands Joint Programme Phase 2 (HJP2), focused on addressing the root causes and strengthening both community and institutional responses to GBV and SARV – both as a factor and consequence of conflict, fragility, and underdevelopment in the Highland provinces. The programme adopts an integrated, area-based programming approach, in which actors and interventions converge to holistically address GBV and SARV, while paying special attention to linkages with primary drivers of conflict, social and economic inequalities, and climate change risks in the provinces of Hela, Southern Highlands, Enga, and Western Highlands. 

The programme aligns with PNG’s national development priorities, especially the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to GBV, the National Action Plan to address SARV and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), contributing to Outcome 1 (Gender Equality), Outcome 2 (Governance, Peace and Social Cohesion) and Outcome 4 (Sustainable Economic Transformation). 

The GBV/SARV component of the (HJP2), particularly draws on Outcome 1 (Equality for Women and Girls) to ensure relevant Outputs of HJP2 are informed by gender transformative practice and can maximise the impact of peace and social cohesion for women and girls. The proposed programme will act as an ‘associated programme’ to HJP2, directly achieving key results under HJP2 Output 2.2 (Violence against vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls and children, reduced and its impacts mitigated through community-based interventions and specialized services) through dedicated technical resources and a cohesive theory of change towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

As in HJP2, the proposed programme will prioritize a community-based and decentralized approach, building capacities of community level organisations such as CSOs and Faith Based Organizations, with the most significant depth of reach to the target populations, and working with Provincial and District Administrations to strengthen institutional capacities and united response to address GBV and SARV as a whole and within the context of conflict and climate change vulnerability. 

Under this component of the HJP2, availability and quality of survivor centered services will be strengthened, technical assistance towards resourcing provincial strategies to address GBV and SARV will be provided, and community led evidence generation will be enhanced to provide data on promising practices, scale-able approaches, and for dialogue with Provincial Administrators. The programme will specifically deploy services of a Gender Advisor, to enable gender-sensitive implementation of the entire HJP2 programme, through strategic and technical advisory roles, leveraging catalytic interventions piloted in the GBV/SARV component of HJP2 and deliberate links with complementary GBV/SARV programmes funded KOICA and EU. This capacity will also enable strategic convening and multi-stakeholder engagement of HJP2 within the broader Women, Peace, and Security agenda. 

GBV SARV Component of the (HJP2), will model targeted and synergistic implementation in one Highland Province with targeted interventions, however, the technical advisory services will benefit the four provinces, targeted under the HJP2 programme. Direct and indirect beneficiaries of this component vulnerable include vulnerable groups, including women,

youth, persons with disabilities, and displaced populations. By addressing barriers to equality and access, HJP2 ensures these groups are actively involved and benefit equitably from the programme’s interventions. 

The GBV SARV Component of the (HJP2), is led by UN Women as the convening Agency, and will be implemented by participating UN Organisations (PUNOs) - UNFPA, UNICEF and UNDP in partnership with the Provincial Administrators, Civil society organisations (CSOs), churches, and community structures. Through its collaborative and inclusive approach, the GBV SARV Component of the (HJP2), integrates humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts, ensuring transformative and sustainable change in the region.

Project Outputs: 

Output 2.2. Violence against vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls and children, was reduced, and its impacts were mitigated through community-based interventions and specialized services.

2.1.1.1 Alignment of Provincial strategies to the new GBV National Strategy, Standard Operating Procedures and Referral Pathways

In the four target provinces, the programme will work to align implementation of Provincial Gender-based Violence Strategies with the new National GBV strategy due to be launched in 2025. 

The new National Strategy is an opportunity to galvanise endorsement and cross-departmental planning and coordination on provincial interventions on GBV, and a moment to assess bottlenecks to prior rollout of Provincial strategies (such as barriers to service access and human resourcing challenges). In addition, recent analysis of the delayed rollout of Provincial strategies shows that the lack of endorsement and funding of existing Provincial plans is due to a lack of proper costing and budgeting of the strategies. 

Therefore, the JP will work with the Provincial Administrators, and the National GBV Secretariat, and key sectoral departments to enable up-to-date and basic evidence-based multi-sectoral costing exercises and final budgets. The budgets developed will drive advocacy for resources allocation, clear allocation of roles across government, and provincial accountability for implementation. The alignment will focus on building administration, ownership of the strategy and costing, aligning the strategy to the provincial development goals, planning and budget processes.

2.2.2.6 Support the funding of the safe houses and development of SOP 

Building on multiple initiatives underway in Phase 1 of the Highlands Joint Programme (2020-2023) and other individual agency programmes, the programme will continue to support enhancing the inclusivity and professionalisation of safe house services in target provinces. 

This is to include minor support to safehouse infrastructure and/or refurbishment to meet the standards of SOPs currently under development by the National GBV Secretariat (for example, to enhance the accessibility of existing safehouses for persons with disabilities or child-friendly spaces). Further, building on previously developed curricula with partners such as the National Counsellor's Association on trauma-informed safehouse management and psychological first aid, the programme will continue to strengthen the capacities of safehouse managers to deliver trauma-informed services. 

The programme will establish links between local safe houses and training and best practice available from CSOs, such as training on drafting victim impact statements that may serve to enhance access to justice for survivors of GBV and SARV. The programme will be strategic in its selection of safe house partnerships, building on existing relationships and identifying where safehouse support might produce maximum benefit in underserved or high risk areas.

Status: 
Active 

Location:
Hela Province
Western Highlands Province 

Focal Area:
Gender Based Violence
Sorcery Accusation Related Violence 
Governance 

Partners: 
Hela Provincial Government 
Western Highlands Provincial Government 
National Gender Based Violence Secretariat 

Donor: 
DFAT under PNG UN Country Fund II

Budget: 
$360,000

Project Duration:  
Start: 01 November 2025 
End: 01 November 2028

Contacts:

Ms. Laura Crossfield 
Gender, Safeguarding and Disability Focal Point 
E: Laura.crossfield@undp.org