Comments

It is very encouraging to see the emphasis on aid effectiveness and the distillation of the four key factors in the blog from the UPNG experience. These factors align with the findings from research and experience elsewhere. I hope I am wrong but I fear aid effectiveness in education sector projects and support will decline in coming years as two factors come into play. First, the dilution of attention away from improving and sustaining change in education towards other broader matters, as important as they may be, such as climate change. I believe the concept of focus, as stressed in the blog, is so very important. Second, in Australia’s case in particular, the abandonment of a development policy focus on sustainability in the main aid ‘quality criteria' which are now limited to effectiveness, efficiency, gender equality and disability equity. I fail to see how development aid can be considered to be ‘effective’ in the broadest sense unless benefits from development interventions are sustained, and hopefully scaled and deepened as illustrated so well in this case study of ANU’s work at UPNG. The reporting of the sustained success of work in the university sector is a powerful example of how universities can be assisted to achieve successful and sustained change. Universities have often responded poorly to development assistance compared to schools and the technical and vocational education sectors.

An analysis of the draft Bougainville constitution can be found here. https://www.academia.edu/166254730/A_Note_on_the_Draft_Bougainville_Constitution_Part_I_Vailala_Analysis_of_the_2024_Draft_Constitution_of_Bougainville_Schmittian_Exception_and_the_Catholic_Katechon

Powerful piece and very true. Sadly there are unlikely to be any quick fixes beyond a sudden resolution to the Gulf crisis. But nonetheless the writing is on the wall. Too many geographically remote Pacific communities have become reliant upon imported fuel for electricity generation, transport and cooking and by association the services and imported goods they rely upon. The time to electrify was yesterday and this may yet be their best hope. There is an emerging supply of used solar equipment in Australia as ageing systems are replaced. Some of this equipment still has a useful life albeit at reduced levels of output. I see an opportunity to save the better stock from landfill, sort into community packages and re-install in locations in need of an alternative to increasingly expensive or unavailable fossil fuels. Understandably this is not a perfect fit for existing petrol, diesel or kerosene dependent systems but battery powered OBM and buggies are available to start replacing the fossil fuel dependant systems too many communities have come to rely upon. If efforts to address the causes of stunting, essential service delivery, empowerment of women and community scale economic activities are to be supported, repurposed solar equipment may help to alleviate the current shock and ongoing transition to more sustainable systems in challenging times.

An interesting a probably and unintended consequence is that from anecdotal evidence from Vanuatu is that boys are leaving school earlier than they might otherwise to join these schemes. The longer term development impact would be interesting. Also is there a ‘Dutch Disease’ effect in Tonga?

Well articulated!

The other way around could be true as well if studied. PNG should be sending more money to Australia than other Pacific Countries combined.

The way forward is to build a good relationship with the people by carefully listening and understanding their situation. THIS ABOVE IS THE MAIN POINT. Namos, I totally agree with this single important suggestion. As an expatriate who lived over 20 years in PNG I found this same principle to work and enable me to move across all regions and cultures. Only then can answers be explored and found.

Thankyou for this clear-sighted summary of the situation.

This article honestly reflects what happened on the ground in Enga Province. I worked alongside the CARE team during the response and recovery phase with Baptist Union of PNG, and I can confirm that most of what is described here is accurate. Male dominance was a real barrier during needs assessments. Women and children were rarely given space to speak, and cultural norms made it very difficult to hear their stories. Communities also tended to give the same prepared responses to every team that visited, focusing only on food and material needs, while the trauma that women and children carried went largely unnoticed. What stood out positively was CARE's decision to set up child-friendly spaces and psychosocial support for women and children. This was a bold and necessary step that most other organisations did not take. The recommendation to distribute aid by family unit was also the right approach for this context. Overall, this article is an honest and important account of the gaps in disaster response in PNG, and the recommendations deserve serious attention from all organisations working in this space.

The statistics on violence are very important, but in reality the numbers are much higher because most cases in the Highlands are never reported. Fear, stigma, sorcery accusations, and wantok pressure silence many survivors. The Village Health Volunteer (VHV) approach is strongly recommended and needs much stronger support. VHVs can reach hard‑to‑access and disadvantaged communities, but only if their capacity is strengthened through proper training, first aid supplies, and clear links with the nearest health facilities. Their work must be recognised and supported by community leaders, youth leaders, and church leaders, who are respected and trusted in Highlands communities. Strong relationships between these key players can help manage cases early, before survivors need to travel to main service centres. However, many NGO programs fail because volunteer selection is often biased. Field officers sometimes select people they know, rather than people fit for the role, due to wantok practices or personal benefit from trainings. This weakens trust and access to services. Volunteer selection should be merit‑based and led by community leaders, churches, or nearby health facilities, not NGO field officers alone.

Hi, good afternoon Chris, Diana and Kushneel I am grateful for your contribution on the theme: Data Analytics Sharpens Development in the Pacific and Timor Leste. I have few comments on the theme for PNG. The need for processed information to support development policy as revealed by the research approach on in the three countries is a timely reminder. It reminds us that apart from providing the baseline data, the importance strategic assessment and analysis that guides quality development policy planning and investment for the future is critical. The missing link between policy formulation and actual services and deliverables to address the appalling development indicators has been proper analysis and assessment. In PNG, the lack of credible data analytics coupled with politically motivated decisions impedes the provision of evidence based data for development development. It is not total absence of analyzed date. There are some analyzed data provided provided by the national think tanks (National Research Institute (NRI) and the Institute of National Affairs (INA). However, these reliable analytical data are aborted if they clash with the political interests and agendas of the ruling party and its coalition partners. The above practice has been adversely affecting the reliance on processed data for development policy. For instance, the research based proposal to create a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to redirect income from PNG's lucrative extractive sector into more sustainable sectors like farming and tourism by the NRI and the INA was aborted. Instead the Kumul Petroleum Holdings (KPHL) and Minerals Resources Development Corporation (MRDC) were empowered as State owned enterprises (SOE) by the People's National Congress (PNC) led Party. The policy formulation and implementation process in PNG is not based on the long term development needs and aspiration of the people, and it is distorted by political survival instincts. In order for data analytics to sharpen development policy in PNG, the research approach needs to be engendered at the legislative level where decisions are made by elected leaders. The starting point to ensure analytics is considered into mainstream policy formulation and implementation is to address political reforms to change behaviours and attitudes of the current and future leaders. Only through these good governance - equality, equity, fairness and integrity are instilled. Thus, the missing gap between policy and development can be effectively addressed.

Good point Ngasmal, and we also need Political will and support to prioritize Solid Waste Management in the country.