International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Top of the agenda for ICRC was the outstanding Host Country Agreement, which has not been ratified by Parliament since 2016; and the ratification of the additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions inclusively.

The office was established by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) with the technical support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

This significant milestone marks a crucial step toward addressing the issue of persons who went missing during the Bougainville Conflict and providing solace to affected families.

Given that his Tari-Pori electorate serves as the sole service center in Hela Province, it attracts individuals affected by tribal conflicts from neighboring provinces seeking services such as policing and healthcare.

Furthermore, Marape also proposed leveraging the Hope Institute, which supports women and children affected by violence, as a platform for collaboration with churches and the ICRC in Hela.

People in detention are highly vulnerable to outbreaks of diseases such as COVID-19, because of overcrowding and poor hygiene and sanitation. Recognising this risk, the Australian Government has partnered with ICRC to improve the conditions and treatment of people in detention in prisons and police lockups across PNG during this pandemic.

The K10 million partnership includes support to the Correctional Services to establish a Technical Working Group and draft a COVID-19 Response Plan.

In fact, he is one of the most talented visual art students at his school, particularly when it comes to drawing pictures using only one’s imagination.

Last year, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) started a drawing competition with the school. The project engaged students to draw pictures showing the consequences of tribal fighting in the Highlands, and how they want schools to be protected from tribal fights. The best drawings were turned into paintings on the classroom wall by an artist.

Piam, who hails from the Western Highlands Province, is a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Field Officer with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Mt. Hagen and recent alumna of the first Australia Awards Graduate Certificate in Counselling Short Course.

She works with communities, providing psychological support to people affected by conflicts or violence-related situations, as well as supporting frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his long career in health care, Soal has seen many challenges that come with the territory – outbreaks of tribal fighting remain common in the highlands. But nothing comes close to what COVID-19 has unleashed around the world in recent months.

Trained to stay calm under pressure, Soal says the stress of dealing with an unknown virus at such a large scale has taken a toll on health-care workers, causing many to feel anxious, irritable and frustrated.

They aim to achieve this by setting up a dedicated isolation unit.

The unit, which includes a delivery room, can cater for twelve COVD-19 patients. In addition, the isolation unit has dedicated facilities for staff working to provide care to COVID-19 patients, including PPE donning and doffing stations, and an area for disinfection and waste management.

The ICRC also assisted the hospital by establishing two pre-triage tents for the screening of outpatients, the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff, and materials for infection prevention and control.

The humanitarian organisation is working closely with the local authorities and Papua New Guinea Red Cross Society (PNGRCS), specifically in the Highlands and Bougainville, by providing personal protective equipment and handwashing stations along with hygiene and awareness material to health facilities as part of the capacity-building and prevention measures.

The officers came from Hela, Enga and Southern Highlands Provinces with majority of them serving in the rural police stations such as Kandep, Tari and Pangia.

“The workshop has greatly helped me to see and act differently, especially when engaging with civilians in any police operations in Hela. It has also helped me to respect the rights of the people who are arrested and charged for committing a crime,” Tari Police Station Commander, Senior Inspector John Iara said.