PNG CSO highlights violence against women, human rights and education at HLPF

Papua New Guinea (PNG) CSO’s note the impacts of COVID-19 and welcome the opportunity of the Voluntary National Review (VNR) to reflect on building back better and CSOs is proposing the following recommendations to the PNG Government:

• To implement the accepted recommendations of the UPR 2016 on education and adopt time bound targets for adequate infrastructure to reduce overcrowded classrooms, increase number of qualified teachers, ensuring access to quality and inclusive education for girls and children with a disability, early childhood care, adult literacy and TVET.
• To recognise the contribution of our women to the care economy and socio-economic and well-being of PNG and promote greater representation of women in Parliament and we demand increase in action to end violence against women and ensure human right defenders are safely protected.
• In the Extracting Industries that destroyed the environment, lives, livelihoods of communities, forced displacements; preventing access to clean land and water; resulting in poorer health; community conflict; damage to cultural sites; harassment, rape and sexual violence – We recommend to support national dialogue on Business and Human Right and SDGs and integrate international guidelines on human rights and environment biodiversity articulated in the Government Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitment in all Extracting industries policies and legislations.
• To End sea bed mining and submarine tailings disposal that are inconsistent with SDG 12.
• To investment in data gathering and dissemination of social and economic data to inform policies in consultation with CSOs.

Question:

PNG is suffering the consequences of the world’s unsustainable development particularly in the extracting industry.  The world has taken our minerals, our forests and given us climate change threatening our livelihoods, ecosystems and existence.  How can the Government integrate implementation of UPR and UN Human Rights recommendation into SDG planning and implementation at local level and institutionalized CSO engagement.

Ends.