Promoting ‘respect and understanding’ in the Pacific

Since independence in 1975 the Pacific island state of Papua New Guinea has experienced rapid social and economic change, with pressures that are challenging traditional ways of managing conflict in families and communities.

One-third of the country's population, which is around 6.2 million, are young people (aged 12-25) who are becoming increasingly urbanised and delinked from the culture of their parents and grandparents. Traditional controls and discipline that promoted stability for generations of islanders are being cast aside as people seek waged employment in towns and cities.

"This has lead to a breakdown of law and order and the disintegration of family life, at a time when the population of young people is growing. They are becoming increasingly dependent on their families. Resources are scarce and many families simply can't provide," explains Johnson Wandipe Hebe, Commissioner of Papua New Guinea's National Youth Commission.

Mr Hebe, who was in Brisbane, Australia, during the last week of November 2008 attending a Commonwealth Youth Programme meeting on peace-building in the Pacific, stressed the importance of providing the social, economic, political and psychological support to the island state's youth.

"We need to promote the Papua New Guinea way of life and norms to educate young people about their cultural heritage. Many are vulnerable to considerable problems such as unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health problems, prostitution, violence and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS."

The country’s successful education policy has meant that more and more well-educated children are finishing school, but the higher education institutions and job market cannot absorb them and they are forced to return to their families. Some 80,000 young people leave school each year, but the formal labour force can only accommodate less than 10,000.

"It is no surprise that these scenarios are contributing to a breakdown in social order," says Mr Hebe.

These problems are well recognised by James Laki, Executive Director of the Peace Foundation of Melanesia, who was also at the Brisbane meeting.

Dealing with conflict

Based in the capital Port Moresby, Mr Laki’s non-governmental organisation (NGO) is one of many at the front line, dealing with conflict in the country.

"NGOs in Papua New Guinea operate in crisis situations and in a complex environment. Our core activity is community justice training, which reflects our experience that the Western court system is not perceived to be suitable or just for the ordinary Papua New Guinean," he explains.

The internationally recognised foundation focuses on mediation and restorative justice to repair community relationships and minimise law and order issues. "We work at grassroots level, using the Papua New Guinea ways. We are not replacing established legal processes, but working alongside them for a more successful and lasting peace," Mr Laki says.

In close consultation with communities, staff and training officers hold comprehensive training courses covering areas such as attitudes and values for mediators and providing skills in communication, facilitation and negotiation, mediation and restorative justice.

Importance of peace-building

"We also stress the importance of partnerships in peace-building, including good governance, leaders and powers, the establishment of informal peace mediators and awareness on Papua New Guinea law and justice agencies."

In 2005, a peace agreement was signed between the Mendo Humsem and the Kondup Konjop tribes in Bela following an eight-year conflict in which 31 people died and one which was characterised by the destruction of personal property worth thousands of kina, the local currency.

"The peace agreement was initiated by the Community Justice Committee set up after our course there in 2003," explains Mr Laki.

"We also went into the Southern Highlands Province, following the failure of the 2002 national general elections. There was anarchy with armed, roving bands of criminals moving through the area. Ballot boxes and election officials were hijacked and the result was only three of nine seats were declared."

After consulting with concerned stakeholders in the region, including the Catholic Church, women who wanted peace, and the Governor, Sir Peter Barker, they established a peace-building project directed towards ensuring the 2007 elections were free, fair and non-violent.

Their project received funding from the private sector, AusAID and the United Nations. The Southern Highlands Law and Order Advisory Group attributed the trouble free elections of 2007 to the work of the Peace Foundation of Melanesia.

"Many people in the community also came to us afterwards to personally acknowledge our work," says Mr Laki.

Community justice training

Such is the demand for their community justice training that a record 520 participants attended a recently held course in Magarima, in the Southern Highlands.

Says Mr Laki: "Our normal class size is 30 to 35; however, we sometimes have class sizes exceeding this number at our courses."

Mr Hebe says that young people in Papua New Guinea have a pivotal role to play in the future peace of the country: "We know the problems and our new National Youth Policy requires working closely with churches and NGOs such as the Peace Foundation of Melanesia.

"This policy recognises young people as active participants in their personal development and that of their families and communities.

"Without their support and that of partner organisations, it would be difficult to fully implement it."

The Commonwealth Youth Programme meeting in Brisbane was convened to explore ways of implementing the Commonwealth Respect and Understanding report in the Pacific region.

Participants included youth leaders, human rights activists and youth workers from Australia, Kiribati, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Cook Islands and Niue.

Key Links:

• Youth
• Country Profile: Papua New Guinea