About the NGBVS
The Papua New Guinea National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to GBV (2016-2025) was launched in 2016 and is a blue print to guide the work of all agencies across the national government, as well as provincial government bodies, civil society organisations and development partners. The National GBV Strategy is underpinned by the understanding that addressing GBV will require strong leadership, a holistic and coordinated approach supported by ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and research.
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To drive coordinated implementation and oversight of the National GBV Strategy, a National Gender Based Violence Secretariat was to be established. As at May 2021, the National GBV Secretariat still only has an Interim Director and has not been fully staffed or funded. Nonetheless, the Secretariat is working earnestly to leverage our limited resources for greater impact by coordinating our efforts with those of other GBV actors all across the country.
“We have emphasized the importance of women being able to make their full contribution to the welfare of the country on an equal footing with men.”
-- National Constitution of Papua New Guinea 1975
Our Vision
An inclusive, peaceful society where the Government, in partnership with its citizens, embraces diversity, equality and equity, recognizes,
respects and promotes the rights of all citizens, and secures just and sustainable development for all.
Our Mission
The Government of Papua New Guinea, in partnership with all its key stakeholders, will prioritize prevention of, and response to Gender-Based Violence to enable a quality of life without fear of violence.
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Our strategy reflects our vision to make Papua New Guinea a place where all women and children can fully participate in the political, economic, cultural and social life of the country. We know that to address gender-based violence, we must address gender equality, and men and boys must learn to stand beside women and girls as allies and partners.Women’s inequality is an issue that affects us all. This is not only a human rights issue, it is an economic imperative. We cannot reach our full potential as a people, as a community, as a culture and as a country, when half of our people are marginalized and denied full inclusion and participation. We know that the full inclusion of women boosts our economy, increases our productivity and reduces child poverty
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Addressing women’s equity requires all social agents – individuals, organizations and all levels of government – to take intentional steps towards this goal. As a nation, we can take positive action within our own jurisdictions and encourage others to do the same.
We know that access to basic socioeconomic supports is a crucial step for increasing women’s safety, security and well-being. Issues such as unstable housing, lack of employment, lack of infrastructure like street lights, safe markets and easily accessed water and sanitation and insufficient financial resources can greatly contribute to whether or not a woman is able to successfully leave situations of violence and vulnerability.
We believe our strategy must start with each of us. We aim to become the gold-standard in gender-equality and ending gender-based violence, starting with our government staff. We also will hold our Agents accountable and will use our power, voice and influence to disrupt and demand change.
We look to a new adage: “we do not want the power to accept what we cannot change: instead we embrace our power to change what we cannot accept.” We look to our successes, and to build upon the successes of our citizens to create a Papua New Guinea where everyone has an equal opportunity to live in safety, and be inspired and supported achieve their dreams.
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