Outcome PNG_D_4.2

SN Outcome 3.2: Women and youth are more resilient and promote peace (aligned to SP Output 13)

With three years after the earthquake in the Highlands which ushered in a joint UN response in this conflict prone region, women in the Highlands are beginning to self-organise and demand for peace in their communities. Stories such as that of Elizabeth Andiki, a female peace mediator from Kupari village in Tari-Pori District in the Hela Province demonstrate the resilience shown by women in promoting peace. Elizabeth is one of the Grassroots Peace Building Action Team (GPAT) members. She attended a peacebuilding training hosted by the Melanesian Institute, an implementing partner with UN Women support in the Creating Conditions for Peace program. While in the Hela culture, men would never give space to women to raise their voice to talk. Women are considered inferior and therefore have no rights to speak up for what they think is right. However, with the training women have received from Melanesian Institute, Elizabeth understood that women have equal rights as men and therefore has spoken up for what she thinks is right. Elizabeth went on to make awareness and do counselling with women in her village, letting them know that women have equal rights as men. She became a peace mediator and handles and facilitates peace mediation in her community. One of her first experiences was to deal with a land dispute where she mediated over the issue and settled it. The community has seen what Elizabeth has done and started to respect her and pay attention to what she says in the community. Within the same programme, UN Women has also trained 20 youth on peacebuilding from LEP centres. Tags: Access to justice, Advocacy and campaigns

SN Outcome 3.2: Women and youth are more resilient and promote peace (aligned to SP Output 13)

During the reporting period UN Women through the Creating Condition for Peace in Hela and Southern Highlands and Sustainable, empowered women and youth with knowledge and skills on conflict resolution, peacebuilding and prevention of violence against women and girls. Women and youth developed confidence, survival skills to tacle conflict related violence and recover from conflict. UN Women engaged women and youth around 10 Learning Empowerment Programmes 5 Hela province and 5 Southern Highlands Province.Lyn, a former UN Women LEP Coordinator in Hoeibia stood out as a champion for peace when she visited 2 (Maragima and Hiri) mediate the conflict and rescued the women and children, bringing them to a safer place. In Bougainville, UN Women ensured that both the population in and out of Bougainville were informed and feel included in the process. At the community level, more women were given the opportunity to lead in various capacities. Merceline Kokiai, found peace after attending peace building trainings says “The peace building training has done a lot of changes within me. The way I see things, the way I approach issues, and the way I talk and interact with people changed. I used to be violent. I became more violent after seeing my brother being shot to death during the war in Bougainville. I swore to revenge on everyone who was involved. For many years, this did not take me anywhere. It only made me more bitter. When I attended the peace building training, I learnt to forgive, I started seeing things differently and reconciling with others. I found peace and moved on.” Merceline is one of the women peacebuilders in Bougainville.