Find Civil Society expertise in Papua New Guinea
Local NGOs include amongst many, the Melanesian NGO Centre for Leadership, which provides skills in capacity development for Papua New Guinea (PNG) NGOs; the PNG Eco-Forestry Forum which promotes the development of the country’s rural communities through sustainable use of the country’s forestry industries, and the Individual and Community Rights and Advocacy Forum (ICRAF), a NGO-based in Port Moresby, which deals with human and land rights issues.
Papua New Guinea has strong bilateral relationships with Australia which is expressed through Australia’s Overseas Aid Programme (AusAid), which has supported a multitude of developmental projects. Various international charities run multiple programmes and projects on items such as disability, education and health.
A number of international NGOs operate in the country. Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), an international charity, is running various programmes and projects on disability, education, HIV/AIDS and participation and governance. VSO’s local AIDS projects concentrate on making positive behaviour changes among the country’s rural communities. In education, VSO is looking at enhancing post-primary education. In its disability programme which runs until 2009, VSO has developed partnerships with a number of governmental bodies such as the National Department of Education and the National Department of Health.
Industrial relations in Papua New Guinea operate in a three-part system involving government, employers and unions. The main national trade union centre is the Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress (PNGTUC). Discrimination against union activity is illegal and the right to strike is protected.