ACT NOW! has launched a new campaign titled ‘Celebrating and Defending Customary Land’.
This is to help address the urgent need for better information at all levels of society about customary land, its values and threats.
Customary land is the most valuable asset to most Papua New Guineans buts its role and importance are often misunderstood, especially by outsiders.
Act Now! PNG said while customary land supports an economy estimated to be worth K40 billion a year, provides jobs and incomes for 3 million farmers, housing and sense of community, outsiders and even local elites describe customary land as undeveloped and a barrier to development, to which Act Now! PNG thinks otherwise.
“Customary land is the only resource on which we can build a sustainable future that benefits the majority of the population rather than just a handful,” campaign coordinator Eddie Tanago Paine said.
Tanago further stated that in order to realise the full potential of customary land, people, especially the landowners, must be empowered to protect their land from outsiders or groups of people using the pretext of development to take land away from them.
This campaign, through a new television advertisement on EMTV, social media and a range of publications, aims to increase awareness and educate landowners.
“These resources will be used by ACT NOW! in its lobbying, advocacy and awareness work.
“They will also be available to everyone with an internet connection through websites and social media and will be shared with all those groups interested in supporting PNG’s sustainable development and promoting rural livelihoods,” said Tanago.