Locations
Our Focus
Peace, Governance and Social Cohesion
Overview
Papua New Guinea faces a unique set of challenges to peace and social cohesion. The country’s Highlands region suffers from dozens of prolonged and armed intercommunal conflicts and rates of crime and violence remain high throughout the country. Despite a high proliferation of small arms, only 12% of weapons in the country are estimated to be licensed and registered, which complicates tackling ongoing armed violence in Papua New Guinea.
Furthermore, Papua New Guinea continues to grapple with challenges related to rule of law, corruption and institutional efficiency. Disputes among citizens are often not settled through the formal legal system and the presence of law enforcement remains low in most areas of the country. The country also still continues to recover from the Bougainville Crisis of the 1990s, which severely harmed the economic trajectory of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
UNDP continues to actively work with its partners to address these issues. Together with faith based organizations, we continue to mediate ongoing intercommunal conflicts in the Highlands. We regularly train public officials on combating corruption within their branches of government and empower civil society organizations to advance transparency and accountability in the country. We also remain an active partner in facilitating the post-referendum process between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
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