Australia backs local solutions for peace and justice in PNG

SEVEN Papua New Guinean organisations will expand community-led efforts to prevent violence, strengthen peace, and improve access to justice under the latest round of grants through Australia's Community Justice Fund (CJF).

Delivered through the PNGAus Partnership, the Fund supports Papua New Guinean organisations to address justice challenges that are best tackled at the community level. The seven projects include peacebuilding in communities affected by tribal conflict, improving responses to sorcery accusation related violence, strengthening mental health support, promoting mediation and helping vulnerable people better access justice.

Over the past year, the fund has supported more than 10 organisations across six provinces to deliver practical, locally led solutions worth more than one million kina. These additional grantees expand the fund into new areas, including Enga, while supporting organisations to test new approaches that can strengthen community justice across the country.

The seven grantee organisations were brought together last week in Port Moresby for an orientation and training workshop focused on capacity building, networking, and strengthening readiness for implementation in their communities.

Australia is proud to be supporting Papua New Guinean civil society and faith-based organisations to develop and test practical approaches that could strengthen community justice across the country.

For Ricky Narawec of Port Moresby Hevy Toktok, this grant represents an opportunity to expand his budding organisation. Through a K 25,000 grant, the organisation will promote mediation and problem-solving approaches in the settlements of Port Moresby to reduce violence. 

Narawec explained his motivation for the funding: "Currently, we have so many troublemakers at the community level. We have to create more problem-solvers and peacemakers so they can outnumber them. When we have more peacemakers than troublemakers, we will maintain peace in our communities."

Together, the projects will support safer communities while strengthening the role of Papua New Guinean organisations in addressing local justice challenges. 

Grantees, representatives from the Australian High Commission (AHC) and the Australia-Papua New Guinea Law and Justice Partnership at the orientation session.