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Some countries in Africa will need a change within their legislation to become sustainably peaceful, says Austrian peace researcher Franz Jedlicka (Legislation-Peace Nexus). Mouna

Thank you for this Bob. This has been one of the things keeping me up at night, especially with the awareness of how underfunded so many crises already were, even before this cruel twist. While geopolitics and strategy are a tempting argument to double down on to 'save' or protect aid in a conservative-leaning global donor environment, we cannot lose sight of what it is all really about: alleviating human suffering and supporting people to have their most basic human rights met.

Keep it coming.

Tenkiu tumas James, for sharing part of your findings. And I'm looking forward to your more from your completed work. We appreciate important contributions that your research will make to scholarship and other important applications. Mau mani (Clare Ricter).

Hi Natasha thank you for sharing. In my case, some companies in Australia which I applied has offered me a job, especially in trade jobs, however able to provide sponsorship but they have requested me to apply for full working rights in Australia. Therefore, how would I apply for the working rights permit/visa? Your advice or direction would be highly appreciated. Thks.

Thank you Graham a very interesting perspective. Probably a great follow up would be the Global South perspective. I’m currently working on the Asian Relations conference of 1947 in New Delhi and recently about Bandung in 1955 - both of which explored and articulated important visions for governance in the Global South as did the NIEO in 1975. China’s work since 2000 in its Africa partnerships is another interesting example.

Hi John, I think the best path would be the next HIES capturing these employment margins, thus allowing at least some level cross-sectional comparisons across these sub-groups. I wouldn't speculate on the changes based on that, but would still be helpful. SDES, HFPS, and Census don't have that level of employment detail so absent an LFS, HIES seems the best bet, in my humble opinion. Warmest wishes, Ryan

The "millions of villagers who produce and sell cocoa, coffee and vanilla from their customarily owned land" are for the most part not employed in formal private sector employment, and thus not included in the dataset. The article and the linked paper it is based on clear and transparent on who is observed and how measured. Outside the OECD most employment in the agricultural sector is not formal or in the private sector per se. Yet, this hardly means that looking at what is going on in the formal private sector is unhelpful or unimportant, especially if reliable and representative data elsewhere is non-existent.

What a valuable and interesting piece of work! If only it were possible to complete the picture by finding the data for formal economy 'non-superannuable' workers whom we ought to see as a more vulnerable and intermediate group -- working perhaps for formal enterprises but not themselves fully 'formal'. And then additionally, wouldn't it be great if we had data over a similar period for the great mass of informal economy workers (presumed in many cases also to have access to subsistence incomes). We might speculate that the real incomes of these two groups (the vulnerable/fringe formal and the urban and rural informal groups) will prove to be related in various ways to what is happening in the formal (superannuable) economy. How to find out more?

Does the study take into account the millions of villagers who produce and sell cocoa, coffee and vanilla from their customarily owned land. If not, how can they be included in the PNG "agriculture sector"?

Thanks Natasha, your research and survey insights are very helpful as they point out progress and challenges (that require attention) in the process. I was late to apply in the initial round and am in anticipation for the next round to open in June 2025 so I can finally apply. I hope there will be some improvements in the process so that applicants can be assisted properly without too much stress and waste of time/resources by the applicant.

Kolombi’s situation reflects a broader crisis in rural PNG, where government neglect, corruption, and weak leadership have allowed entire districts to collapse. Mr. Mako's call for effective leadership, accountability, and government intervention applies to many struggling rural areas across the country.