Youth and Religion

The K5 million building will provide a referral pathway for the protection of vulnerable children and women and for persons living with disability. 

Imbonggue MP, Pila Niningi and Minister for Community Development, Youth and Religion, announced the opening of the facility this morning.

The Community Development Center is aligned with the Department’s policy to improve districts and provinces through the Provincial Local-Level Services Monitoring Authority.                  

He says the information shared during the launching of the Churches Database System and Application was misinterpreted and incorrectly reported.

He clarified that church grants for 2019 is K10 million and not K155 million as reported.

Eoe emphasized that the K155 million was the total of government grants from 2009 to 2014 when the PNG Church State Partnership Program came into existence.

Reuben Aikea has now moved up the ranks, succeeding Norick Luio whose 3 year contract expired in June 2018.

Aikea, an evangelical pastor and dentist by profession, was an employee of National Youth Development Authority prior to his appointment as head of the agency.

Minister Eoe said Aikea’s appointment was done according to government procedures.

Minister Eoe thanked the outgoing Director General for the work he did in implementing youth oriented programs and addressing youth related issues in a bid to improve lives in the country.

National Human Rights Officer, Alithia Barampataz, says DfCDYR must take the lead in fulfilling PNG’s human rights obligations and that is to implement its rectified UN human rights treaties.

Barampataz highlighted that the portfolios under the department play a very big role in policy development, collecting information on the human rights treaty reports.

The portfolios include the disability section, gender development and human rights branch, Lukautim Pikinini Council and family welfare services.

Mokono was an active participant at a two-day human rights workshop that ended today in Port Moresby.

She was among 36 participants from various key Government partners, including the Department for Community Development, Youth and Religion (DfCDYR), Foreign Affairs, Justice and Attorney General, Constitutional Law Reform Commission and National Planning.

Mokono said human rights issues in our societies are an everyday occurrence. Responsible stakeholders need to understand the basic human rights and obligations that the country holds to implement policy goals.

Papua New Guinea has ratified six of the core human rights treaties. These include the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The workshop was hosted by the Department for Community Development, Youth and Religion (DfCDYR) in partnership with the UN Office of the Human Rights Commission (UNOHRC).

Today a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between the Department and TTQ producers, Melanesian Multimedia Limited (MML) to begin work on the collaboration.

MML is a subsidiary of popular fast food chain, Big Rooster, which has been the major sponsor of the show for the last four years.

Department Secretary, Anna Solomon, said the program was an excellent platform for them to create awareness among school children.

In a small ceremony witnessed by child protection offices, partners, staff and the media, the department surprised Gore with the farewell function, a tribute video and a gift.

Department Secretary Anna Solomon highlighted the achievements during her term as Minister from 2013 to 2016.

Solomon said the Minister has done a lot in the area of children and has achieved a lot as she is hardworking, visionary, practical, straight forward and a listener.

The strategy aims to strengthen the work on GBV in order to achieve zero-tolerance towards GBV by 2025 and as per PNG Vision 2050.

The GBV Strategy was endorsed by the National Executive Council on December 15.

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Religion Delilah Gore said the strategy does not reinvent structures and processes.

The GBV strategy builds on existing interventions at national and sub-national level to secure government ownership and a stronger focus on coordination and monitoring for quality.

This follows the success of the recent data collection workshop for PLWD that was carried out at Babaka by the Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion (DoCDYR).

The two day workshop, from October 13-14, was aimed at collecting data for PLWD based on their needs and services.

“As the Convention of Rights for Disable Persons states, PNG must promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities.”