The POWER of PARTNERSHIPS

Reflections on addressing Papua New Guinea’s Social Challenges

Carol KIDU DBE MPMinister for Community Development

Respect and Gratitude

DABA NAMONA BONA VAGUTU MAGE - GOOD MORNING!

DOBI VAGI RAHOBADA

Late mother-in-law and mentor

Pari Village in 1960s

“The Best is Yet to Come” Ivan Pomaleu, IPA

“The business outlook and international demand for what PNG has got will continue. The Medium Term development Strategy is an appropriate strategy, but it’ll take time.”

Business Advantage: Papua New Guinea 2008

But the BEST for WHOM and HOW? Responding to that question is perhaps government’s

biggest challenge – How can the rhetoric of our National Goals about equality and access to equitable and sustainable development for ALL become reality?

If PNG can rise to this challenge, the future does indeed look very good for Papua New Guinea.

‘Re-imagining’ Papua New Guinea

Complexities of social development issues

Where we are now with new social policies Possibilities for Powerful Partnerships

Complexities of social development issues

Papua New GuineaLand of complex challenges

• 6 million people speaking over 800 languages• Majority scattered in isolated communities• Low literacy levels, generally poor transport and

communication infrastructure• Poor access to quality education and health services

with HIV epidemic to add to malaria and TB• Social dysfunction and new patterns of violence• Poor socio-economic indicators • Traditional lifestyles coming face to face with the

bulldozers of socio-economic and cultural globalization etc etc

But a land of great opportunities with abundant natural resources and a rich diversity of indigenous cultures

UNDERLYING PREMISE – a THIN VENEER

- introduced socio-economic, religious and cultural paradigms are a thin veneer over a multitude of traditional cultural psychologies and lifestyles.

- limited understanding of the impact of the interactions between the layers and multiplicity of culture

- need for further sociological research to underpin policy and legislative interventions

Underlying social challenges

Dichotomy of old and new social systems - relationships V institutions

Assumptions about a ‘Melanesian way’ and simplistic view of traditional society and culture

Misinterpretation and abuse of culture and customs is having negative social outcomes

Strengthen the intergenerational and extended family as the foundation of society with emphasis on traditional values of reciprocity, collective effort and communal responsibility

Promote the intangible aspects of custom and culture as well as the tangible aspects with an emphasis on values education

Create a learning society that respects old and new knowledge for the benefit of individual and national development

Re-imagining Papua New GuineaNeed to define the future from the past

Discourage belief systems based on fear and jealousy (sorcery and payback)

Harmonise tribal psychology into a national psychology fostering respect for universal rights as well as acceptance of diversity

Move from semi-subsistence (informal) economy to a commercial (formal) economy in a nation of landowners

Develop protocols which recognise the moral, intellectual and cultural rights of the indigenous tribes as the owners of their knowledge

Need to balance macro- and micro-level development efforts

Not enough focus on the micro-issues which require endless patience and dialogue

Export driven macro-economy but the majority of indigenous resource owners become dependent spectators – lack the knowledge and skills to be meaningful participants in the economic boom

Economic opportunities usually based on western capitalist structures applied to non-western settings. Western time-frames with outcomes driven projects and indigenous processes are rarely compatible

Rethinking Development

Just and lasting developmental change can only be achieved when communities own their future.

Sustainability is a social process

Sustainability is based on cultural understanding and cultural relevance

Development in PNG has a history of mismatched expectations and priorities with disappointing outcomes

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

CHOICES WE CAN MAKE

1. Throw up our hands in despair

2. Bury our heads in the sand

3. Get involved

Papua New Guinea’s new & revised social development policies

STABILITY created POLICY OPPORTUNITIES

New Integrated Community Development Policy• Revised Sports FOR Development Policy• New Early Childhood Care and Development Policy• Revised National Youth Development Policy• Policy for People Living with Disabilities• Revised Women’s Policy in progress• New Children’s Policy in progress• New Elderly Policy in progress• New Strongim Gutpela Sindaun Policy planned

PLUS………………

MAJOR NEW LAND POLICY REFORM lead by the National Land development Taskforce

And new policies on URBANISATION and on the INFORMAL ECONOMY

Lots of hard work and new policies

BUT does the Government have the capacity to implement them and do the people have the right mind-set to accept them?

Need to change Mind-sets From dependency To Re-

empowerment

HAND-OUTS

increase poverty

& dependency

LIFE-LONG LEARNING (functional literacy, vocational and marketing skills training)

for ALL for

poverty reduction and sustainable development

with no monitoring

From ‘cargo-cult’ development to community development

Engagement and Connectivity

National

Provincial

District

Local Level / Wards

Communities

Government’s capacity to connect and engage at community level is limited

Partnerships are needed to make it happen

DFCD

PDCDPROVINCE

NATIONAL

NGOs

PROVT.T churches

DIST.1 DIST.2 DIST.3 DIST.4 DIST.5 DIST.6 DIST.7

DISTRICTS TRAINING TEAMS

WARD 1

C’TEE

CDV CDV CDV CDV CDV

WARD 2

CDV

WARDS

VILLAGES

5-10HOME

5-10HOME

5-10HOME

HIV/AIDSSAFE MOTHERHOONMALARIAPREVENTIVE HEALTH

GOVERNANCELEARNINGECONOMYENVIRONMENT

INTEGRATED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT USING THE DISTRICT FOCAL POINT TO

CONNECT PEOPLE WITH GOVERNMENT

Development & Resource Centre to connect with CLDCs to disseminate learning activites and map community development

CLDC

CLDCCLDC

Community Learning and Development Centres (CLDC) to strengthen existing development activities of churches, NGOs and private sector

within a national Integrated Community Development Policy

CLDC

CLDCResource people & volunteers network between District Focal Point and CLDCs

DISTRICT FOCAL POINT

The POWER of PARTNERSHIPS

Donors, private sector, NGOs, other partners

National, provincial and District Government Input

StrengthenCLDCs runby churches and CBOs

DISTRICT FOCAL POINT

THE KEY IS IN THE COMMUNITY

There is a need for a paradigm shift in attitudes at all levels so that our families and communities have access to opportunities to take ownership of development and build their communities from inside out (using an OPEN Strategy)

OPEN STRATEGY

0 0 = OWNERSHIP= OWNERSHIPP P = PARTNERSHIPS= PARTNERSHIPSE E = EMPOWERING & ENABLING = EMPOWERING & ENABLING N N = NETWORKING & SHARING= NETWORKING & SHARING

Possibilities for Powerful Partnerships

Skills training for women (and youth) in informal business

is already a partnership

development

Partnership with Queensland State Library

A private sector partnership with PNG government could strengthen that partnership as we aim to establish 89 District Learning Centres

Opening of Kubin Indigenous Knowledge Centre, Moa Island, Torres Straits

“How will the future judge us if we do not respond, knowing that we had the tools in front of us?”

Kate Carr, Ex-President & CEO

Call to Action

The babies and mothers, the children and the elderly are the most vulnerable.

Will PNG’s economic boom benefit the most vulnerable?

The CHALLENGE OF MAKING IT HAPPEN

THE OPPORTUNITY OF NEW PARTNERSHIPS

DEVELOPMENT IS A PROCESS NOT A PRODUCT