MEDIA RELEASE
3 November 2008
For immediate release
VISIT REINFORCES FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITIES
A visit by Mr Bob McMullan, Australian Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, to an innovative water catchment program in Rainaou village in East New Britain on Monday provided the opportunity to announce a new program which will empower PNG’s communities to play a bigger role in their own development.
The K250 million (AUS$150 million) program, Strongim Pipol Kirapim Nesen (SPKN), will support communities to jointly identify and prioritise their development needs and to plan and implement activities that meet those needs.
“This water catchment project which I jointly opened with the Hon. Dame Carol Kidu in Rainaou is a great example of how the new program will work,” said Mr McMullan.
“It is projects like this one, small in scale and community driven, that have great potential to address the day-to-day needs of the people of PNG. By supporting communities to identify their strengths and potential and to jointly prioritise, plan and implement activities that meet their needs, the Strongim Pipol Kirapim Nesen Program has the potential to make a big impact.”
As well as providing grants and support to communities and civil society groups, Strongim Pipol Kirapim Nesen will fund media activities, community programs, and other projects that involve getting information out to local people or finding innovative ways to increase awareness on important development issues.
“Strongim Pipol Kirapim Nesen is a great initiative,” said Dame Carol.
“It supports communities to develop their own solutions and provides modest support to groups that show self-determination rather than just handing them goods. This approach ensures ownership and is more sustainable.
“The most important aspect of this new program is that it seeks to work in an integrated way with government. It promotes partnership and cooperation between communities and government from the community to the national level.
“We really need to ensure that flowing out from Strongim Pipol Kirapim Nesen are not just benefits for the community but also the capacity of our bureaucratic systems which we can build along the way. Is it also important that development objectives are set within sound policy frameworks rather than being determined by the strength of debate.
“And well done to the people of Rainaou on this great outcome, it is an example to us all on the value of teamwork, cooperation and innovation. By working in partnership the community has achieved positive results.”
SPKN will also work over the longer term to promote partnerships between communities, civil society and government. It will promote principles of mutual accountability and transparency so that all involved know how decisions are being made, and how resources are being allocated.
“People in PNG are not just beneficiaries, they are active citizens in development,” said Mr McMullan.
“They can contribute their local knowledge and ideas, their time and their resources. Strongim Pipol Kirapim Nesen will encourage community members to take greater ownership of the activities and services in their community and to get actively involved in their planning and implementation. A village clinic or school cannot be successful without the support and engagement of the community.”
The water project, funded under the AusAID Community Development Scheme, helped the Rainaou community to realise the dream meeting its own water needs. But it didn’t stop there. After the water project the community pulled together again to buy a saw mill which they have used to mill timber to build community houses and a store.
Mr McMullan is in PNG over the next few days to hold talks on the direction of the Australian-PNG development program.
He said the visit was an important next step following improved relations between the two governments culminating in the recent signing of the Pacific Partnership for Development by Prime Ministers Rudd and Somare.
“The Pacific Partnership for Development is our roadmap for the future of the Australia-PNG development program,” Mr McMullan said.
“It recognises that PNG has some significant development challenges ahead relating to key areas such as improving people’s health, re-building roads, and boosting access to education, among others. But it also recognises that by working in a partnership with Australia with mutually agreed obligations there are great opportunities to make in-roads into these development challenges.”
Mr McMullan also visited a number of AusAID-funded projects in East New Britain including a school and health centre as well as an agricultural research station funded through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
Mr McMullan will meet with counterparts from a range of PNG Government ministries.
Media Inquiries: Roger Wheatley, AusAID Public Affairs, Mobile: 697 5571