Papua New Guinea

Crisis Prevention & Recovery in Papua New Guinea: Nation Building

Chronic low level civil conflict through tribal fighting, criminal activity and susceptibility to natural disaster has impeded the development of PNG, which only exacerbates poverty. While the country is well-endowed with natural resources and has experienced recent economic growth, adequate government service delivery is not reaching a significant proportion of the population.

Papua New Guinea’s progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals has been slow. Uneven economic growth and distribution of wealth, high levels of violence, especially against women, deteriorating law and order, poor governance and diminishing public services have combined to undermine the nation’s stability. Social cohesion in some provinces has deteriorated to the point that they have descended into civil war (such as in Bougainville) or where the situation is tense (such as the Southern Highlands), leading to social disillusionment and marginalization in the community. The worst affected have often been women and youth.

The Government of Papua New Guinea is looking for ways to unite a nation of over 850 ethnic groups and to help citizens understand their societal roles, rights and responsibilities, both within their own communities and the nation as a whole, including the importance of peace and reconciliation, human development and the creation of sustainable livelihoods to achieve this. Approaching crisis prevention and recovery (CPR) issues through a positive theme of nation building is an effective approach to mobilise civil society participation and to minimise existing tensions between different groups.