Outcome PNG_D_1.1

Women fully and effectively participate in and have equal opportunity for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political and public life (Aligned to SP Output 4)

Over the course of the reporting period, good progress has been made through advocacy, awareness-raising, trainings and enhanced partnerships with key civil society and government actors. As a result of UN Women’s support to women’s movement building in the country, regional coalitions were formed, and women leaders led large-scale advocacy efforts across their communities on ending violence against women and increasing women’s political participation. These coalitions also utilised the training they received from UN Women to engage the media and lobby their Members of Parliament for Temporary Special Measures, which led to increased discussions in PNG’s national Parliament on reserved seats for women. As a result of joint efforts made by UN Women, UNDP, the Department for Community Development and Religion (DfCDR) and the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission (IPPCC) there was a noticeable increase in public and mainstream media discussions on women’s political participation, including temporary special measures for women; a conversation that had been dormant for close to a decade following the failure of the passage of enabling legislation for 22 reserved seats for women in 2012. C ommunications materials developed by UN Women, featuring women leaders from across the country and diverse sectors , promoted women’s empowerment by raising the profile of these women leaders . A number of women featured in the series also shared with UN Women that the series , and the positive feedback they received from their communities on their leadership, gave them the confidence to expand their leadership and take on additional responsibilities in advoca

Women fully and effectively participate in and have equal opportunity for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political and public life (Aligned to SP Output 4)

PNG women demonstrated courage, confidence and knowledge through increased participation in political leadership position. During the 2022 general elections a total of 64 women (an increase from 22.8% in 2017 to 40.3% in 2022), were endorsed by political parties with most parties endorsing between one and four women candidates. Two women were successfully elected to National Parliament in the 2022 national general elections, both were endorsed by political parties. UN Women further enhance women leadership and governance, inclusive decision-making, communication, community development and running for election, knowledge and skills. This was achieved through training, 93 subnational female politicians from the Autonomos Bougainville Government commnity department, and Government of PNG provincial and Local Level Government on the same. Participants shared numerous positive benefits from the trainings, including: (1) The training gave them more recognition and credibility as a leader in their community; and (2) The training increased their confidence in speech writing, public speaking, proposal writing and how government functions. During this period, the Political Leadership Academy for Women, established by UN Women in 2021 in partnership with the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Government (PILAG), saw two cohorts of subnational female politicians graduated. In addition, PILAG demonstrated their commitment to the Academy by dedicating an office on their campus and staff to support the programme, as well as taking increased ownership over the delivery of the curriculum. In 2022, recorded improvement in community perception on women leadership participation. UN Women piloted a new approach to raise awareness on women’s leadership by working closely with Queensland University of Technology to co-create 13 digital stories with male and female leaders from across PNG. These stories were aired at the national level via television and social media, and were used to support community dialogues across 9 provinces (Eastern Highlands Province, East New Britain, East Sepik Province, Jiwaka, National Capital District, Morobe, Milne Bay and Simbu) and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville reaching 1,631 people. All the data collected showed an overwhelming interest and appetite for the films with “ 91% [of viewers] saying that they learnt something new from the films ”. There was also an immediate shift reported in some audiences' perceptions after viewing the film, “I thought women are not good enough in leadership roles. But even a slight opportunity given for them can bring positive results because women are usually persistent in things they do”. (Male, 30, Simbu) UN Women worked closely with the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) to the review and creation of gender-responsive policies, including the ABG Gender Policy and the ABG Partnerships Policy. As a result of this work, the ABG’s discussions on the establishment of the Office for the Development of Women has been reinvigorated. The establishment of this office and the allocation of resources to support its functions is critical for advancing coordination and legislation on GEWE in the ABG.