The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an initial $100,000 in immediate humanitarian assistance to respond to worsening displacement in Papua New Guinea resulting from election- and tribal-related violence which began in May and continues to escalate. To date, an estimated 156,000 people are displaced, and hundreds of homes have been destroyed, according to the UN. There are also increasing reports of violence, including violence against women and girls. Relief groups have identified nearly 236,000 people experiencing a lack of access to basic goods and services, including healthcare, education, safe drinking water, and food.
This initial $100,000 will help meet the immediate needs of conflict-affected people by providing critical relief items such as hygiene kits, dignity kits, water containers, and shelter supplies. USAID humanitarian experts in the region and in Washington, D.C. are working in close coordination with partners to identify and meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
This emergency funding is in addition to long-standing USAID investments in disaster risk reduction programs in Papua New Guinea and across the Pacific that are active year-round. These programs increase the resilience of communities and build the capacity of first responders and local and national government entities to prepare for and respond to disasters. For example, USAID implementing partner the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is training national, provincial, and local disaster management authorities in Papua New Guinea on disaster response coordination, shelter needs assessment, and emergency shelter management. As a part of this program, IOM prepositioned emergency shelter supplies in high-risk and hard-to-reach areas in case of disasters. These items will be distributed to displaced individuals affected by the ongoing violence in the Highlands Region.
For the latest update on U.S. humanitarian assistance to Papua New Guinea, click here.