A representative of an international NGO working in Papua New Guinea said: “We were very conscious of the fact that expectations had been raised and trust had been broken, so we initially had to think very carefully how we, and our local peacebuilding colleagues, could safely continue to work in these communities… these are communities impacted by tribal violence and tribal warlords… [We are] now on a pathway to rebuild that trust.”
Date: 5/26
Region: East Asia & Pacific
Country: Papua New Guinea
Topic: Peacebuilding & Stabilization
Policy Lens: Security & Resilience
Entry Type: Field Observation
Additional Context: The Papua New Guinea Peace Project was a $26 million USAID-funded grant, and was the flagship program implementing the 10-year U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, part of the Global Fragility Act, in the country. Implemented by a consortium of organizations including Conciliation Resources, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, PNG Action for Resilient Communities, and Q2 Impact. This program meant to build the capacity of PNG's Hela and Morobe provinces to peacefully respond to violence, especially against women and youth, while strengthening community mediation and justice systems. In addition, it supported some sustainability, economy, and livelihoods opportunities.
According to C-R, the project was pulled during its start-up phase, which was particularly damaging to the trust they had fostered with communities. The consortium had already conducted stakeholder meetings with intended beneficiary communities and provincial administrators, including a meeting with a group of around 75 women who emphasized the importance of the economic and agricultural development opportunities that the program meant to provide. Given the violence in the region, both local peacebuilders who were aiming to support the project as well as external peacebuilding organizations wondered whether the disappointment of broken expectations would make it difficult to rebuild trust, even if new funding was secured.
Devex Researcher Note: Clan rivalries and land disputes are the origin of many violent confrontations in PNG, which have become increasingly deadly due to the proliferation of firearms and ammunition in the region since 2022. Before this, the United Nations Development Project, or UNDP, had reported 112 unresolved conflicts in PNG's highlands. The situation for women, in the Hela province particularly, is dire with gender-based violence levels comparable to those in active armed conflicts. PNG has one of the lowest levels of gender equality in the world.
Source: Conciliation Resources