Papua New Guinea

Doing Our Fairshare: New Zealand’s Responsibility to Provide Climate Finance Report

August 27, 2024

Two new reports reveal how New Zealand can meet its climate finance obligations ahead of COP29.

Auckland, New Zealand –Humanitarian agencies World Vision New Zealand and Oxfam Aotearoa, alongside the New Zealand Climate Action Network (NZCAN), have released two important climate finance reports today.

These reports are published during the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga and ahead of the United Nations climate change conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, where the New Zealand government will be participating in negotiations on climate finance to fund climate change adaptation and mitigation measures

Doing Our Fair Share: New Zealand’s Responsibility to Provide Climate Finance, is published today by World Vision New Zealand and Oxfam Aotearoa.

“Our report highlights New Zealand’s responsibility to bolster its climate finance support for communities on the frontlines of climate change in the Pacific” says co-author, World Vision’s Advocacy Policy and Research Advisor, Dr Olivia Yates.

“As climate change intensifies, those communities least responsible are paying the highest price. Children and their families who are facing the most severe impacts often live in poverty, unable to afford the necessary tools to switch to greener, more climate-resilient livelihoods and prepare for future unprecedented extreme weather,” she says.

Co-Author, Oxfam Aotearoa’s Climate Justice Lead Dr Nick Henry says “New Zealand’s climate finance is helping to build resilience for Pacific communities on the frontlines of climate change. The need for support will only increase in the coming years and New Zealand should continue to stand with the Pacific and be ready to contribute our fair share.”

The report reveals that to meet its fair share of climate finance, New Zealand should be contributing between 0.38% and 0.66% of the global climate goal, which currently equates to between NZ$558 million and NZ$953 million each year, based on our gross national income (GNI) and historic greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, New Zealand is only fulfilling 34% to 58% of this target.

The report shows that, although New Zealand’s climate finance falls short by over NZ$200 million, its funding has been steadily increasing. In the next funding round (2026-2030), New Zealand has a fresh opportunity to show global leadership by committing to provide a fair share of climate finance.

Dr Olivia Yates hopes the report will encourage the government to take seriously the need for ambitious climate finance in its upcoming climate finance decisions.

“While all countries must act on climate change, higher-income countries like New Zealand should pay their ‘fair share’ of the bill for climate action, based on their higher historical emissions and financial capability.”

Climate finance involves funding to support lower-income countries to cover the costs of shifting to greener systems, adapting to our warming world, and dealing with losses and damages from extreme weather – all vital for a response to climate change that leaves no one behind.

‘Seizing the Moment: A New Climate Finance Goal That Delivers for the Pacific’, by Climate Action Networks (CAN) in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, calls on the New Zealand Government to stand with the Pacific and commit to new funding aligned with a stronger global goal on climate finance, known as the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), to be set at COP29 this November.

The NCQG is set to replace the prior US$100 billion (NZ$146 billion) annual global goal, a promise made by higher-income nations in 2010 to provide at least US$100 billion annually for climate change adaptation and mitigation each year.

Dr Nick Henry, Climate Justice Lead at Oxfam Aotearoa and co-author on the CAN report, says that funding to-date has been far from fair.

“The previous $100 billion goal was largely met in 2022 through loans and redirected development assistance, exacerbating debt burdens in lower-income countries. Countries on the frontlines of climate change now spend more paying debts than they receive in aid.”

The CAN report calls for a global target of at least US$1 trillion per year (NZ$1.46 trillion), prioritising grants over loans, to adequately support those hit hardest by climate change.

“At COP29, New Zealand has an opportunity to stand with the Pacific and advocate for a stronger, fairer climate finance target,” he says.

“New Zealand should commit to its fair share of the refreshed global goal, retaining its emphasis on grants instead of loans, and in addition to current aid efforts, to show enduring support, leadership, and a commitment to equity.”

As COP29 approaches, New Zealand has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to increase its fair share of climate finance and stand with the Pacific to ensure a fairer and more sustainable future for people most affected by climate change. Countries on the frontlines are urging global action, and New Zealand must rise to the challenge.

Note to Editors:

New Zealand’s fair share of climate finance has been calculated by looking at the country’s share of responsibility for climate change (based on the country’s cumulative emissions of greenhouse gases since 1992 and since 1850) and its ability to pay (according to its Gross National Income) relative to other higher-income (“Annex II”) countries.

Media Contact:

For a copy of the report, or to arrange interviews, please contact: Rachel Schaevitz – rachel.schaevitz@oxfam.org.nz or 027 959 5555 Ashley Miln – Ashley.miln@worldvision.org.nz or 020-4051-3769 Kirsty Jones – Kirsty.jones@worldvision.org.nz or (09) 580 7753

Amitabh Behar named Oxfam International’s Executive Director

August 9, 2024

Oxfam International is pleased to announce the appointment of Amitabh Behar as its new Executive Director. Behar is a respected global civil society leader, with three decades of experience and extensive work on human rights, economic inequalities, governance accountability, philanthropy, democracy and social justice. He was selected following a competitive recruitment process.

Behar joined Oxfam in April 2018 as the Chief Executive of Oxfam India. More recently, he served as Oxfam International’s Interim Executive Director.

“Behar is a thoughtful and creative feminist leader, with an in-depth understanding of the causes and complexities of poverty, inequality, discrimination and suffering. We are confident in his ability to convene our confederation, alongside our partners, to deliver our vision for a just and equal world,” said Dr. Aruna Rao, the Chair of the Oxfam International Board of Directors.

Behar said: “I embark on this new chapter acutely aware of the global and interconnected challenges we face in our world today. We require urgent action built on new solidarities, new imaginations, and new dreams to deliver a more equal and sustainable future for all.

“Oxfam carries a rich legacy rooted in working with communities while advocating for systemic change. I am eager to channel our collective energies, boldness, resources, and partnerships in support of peoples’ power for the good of majority of the global population.”

Behar has made valuable contributions to Oxfam’s transformation of its own confederation, decolonizing its decision-making and strengthening its collective structure and policies. He has been widely recognized for his work on people-centric advocacy, governance accountability, social and economic equality, and citizen participation.

Prior to Oxfam, Behar was Executive Director of the National Foundation for India and Co-Chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. He has also served as the Vice-Chair of the Board of CIVICUS and the Chair of Navsarjan (Ahmedabad) and President of Yuva in Mumbai. He currently serves on the boards of several other organizations, including the Global Fund for Community Foundation and the Norwegian Human Rights Fund.

Contact: Rachel Schaevitz, rachel.schaevitz@oxfam.org.nz

FLOW: Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea

FLOW is our four-year project based in the rural Henganofi district in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). FLOW stands for Fostering Lasting Opportunities in WaSH and WaSH stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene.

Our goal is to improve health, resilience, and quality of life for remote and vulnerable communities, particularly women and children, in rural PNG.

In addition to constructing water and sanitation systems, like gravity-fed water tanks and private latrines, FLOW also focuses on education. Training initiatives include improving understanding around menstruation and hygiene, improving behaviours around open defecation and hand-washing, and making sure people know how to get existing government funding to improve and maintain their community’s water and sanitation systems.

KŌTUI

FLOW is part of our larger five-year, multi-country programme, Kōtui. Learn more about Kōtui here!

This te reo Māori word means binding together, or interlacing, during weaving. The woven mat represents dialogue and joint problem-solving in Pacific countries and in Timor-Leste. It is an appropriate symbol for a programme focused on inclusive and equitable governance.

CHANGING BEHAVIOURS

Schools and communities are actively engaged, and more are becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF).

We have seen a huge change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours as a result of training conducted! When we started the FLOW project two years ago, 85% of people in our 12 target communities in Henganofi were not using toilets. Following many conversations on the importance and benefits of hygiene and sanitation, this has reduced to 48%.

Two of our target communities have now been certified as “Open Defecation Free” (ODF) – meaning residents have installed toilets and handwashing stations and are using them. Another five communities are ready for ODF certification, just awaiting formal assessment.
Once a community has received its certification, Oxfam can begin to install toilets and water points in the confidence that they will be valued and used.

BUILDING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

Oxfam has partnered with New Zealand-based engineering company Lautrec Technology Group Ltd to help plan the water infrastructure.

The Oxfam in PNG team prepared the engineering plans to suit the specific needs and requests of the various community sites where they will be installed, and Lautrec was able to make changes and improvements to the designs remotely. We are excited to have begun construction in these rural communities.

Our local construction partner in PNG will lead community trainings on WaSH facility maintenance. “If communities can construct it themselves, they will fix and maintain it themselves with an increased knowledge through construction.” – Oscar Tomati, Oxfam PNG.

Designs for gravity-fed water systems were finalised over the last few months, including a peer review from New Zealand-based engineering firm Lautrec Consulting Engineers. The materials for water systems in Imaka and Jugusa communities were recently purchased and delivered.

FLOW aims to improve schools’ hygiene facilities like the ones we see on the right. In December 2019, we visited schools where Oxfam has never worked before (left) and returned to ones where we have built hygiene facilities in the past (right). The goal is to build facilities that allow more privacy, especially for girls!

MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT (MHM)

Many girls in PNG miss school each month because they cannot manage their periods at school without private toilets and running water. They fall further and further behind their classmates when they consistently miss their lessons.

Alongside our partner organisation, QueenPads, we are:

Shifting unhelpful stigmas about menstruation
Providing sanitation and menstrual hygiene education for teachers and students
Building private toilets and handwashing stations.

With our partner, we have developed attendance monitoring forms, and teachers have explained to the girls the purpose of monitoring their attendance. Teachers’ feedback during school visits was positive. Girls were not embarrassed anymore. Schools are also supporting girls with their basic MH needs, resulting in most girls attending school even when they have their periods. Generally, all students, girls and boys, are now familiar with the topic of menstruation. The teachers are impressed with the girls’ improved attendance and proud of the boys’ changing attitudes and behaviours towards the girls. These schools have shown a big improvement within a short period of time. If sustained, these attitudinal and behavioural changes may have a long-lasting impact on girls’ education and life options.

“Since 2019, I’ve been seeing changes with the attendance of girls. Usually, girls skip classes during their monthly period. Ever since the Oxfam FLOW team started visiting our school monitoring girls’ attendance and trainings on MHM, the girls started to change their ways. I have seen changes in their attitude and behaviour and would like to thank Oxfam for helping me help my students.”

Deputy Headmistress of Fayantina Primary School

SYSTEMS CHANGE

We are making progress on transforming the underlying systems that have resulted in PNG’s poor health and water access.

One goal of FLOW is to increase women’s participation in community decision-making. More women are now participating in and leading community WaSH committees and have thus been able to drive the decisions that affect them, overcoming longstanding gender biases to prove the value of women in community decision-making. In fact, three women from the Jugusa WaSH committee spearheaded the necessary behaviour changes that led to their community earning its Open Defecation Free certification!

Our local partners report that in community meetings about what kind of water systems or toilets to build, diverse voices are being heard. People living with disabilities, women, and older people are all contributing. Community leaders are seeing that when women participate and give their views, it helps men to learn that women have important agendas to discuss.

“Many times, people misunderstand the concept of gender equality, however, it is not about creating competition or differences between the husband and wife. It’s about accepting each other’s roles and assisting each other or share responsibilities when necessary,” says Rubbie Mone Oxfam WASH Gender Officer during a gender awareness training (far left, in the lower image).

This systemic change has seen women taking leadership roles and driving the change necessary for their village to improve and get the toilets and water points they want. Another goal of FLOW is to increase understanding of the government’s responsibility to deliver and maintain water and sanitation, and help communities learn how best to access existing funding.

Members of PNG’s government are moving in the right direction, with one Member of Parliament allocating an additional budget of 200,000 kina, nearly $80,000 NZD, to address community requests for additional publicly accessible water points that were beyond the scope and budget of Oxfam’s FLOW project.

Oxfam PNG team members have also reported that their most important lesson learned has been how to interact with different levels of stakeholders, from provincial level to partners to community members – a key element to the success of collaborative working.

This systems change is a vote of confidence that helps illustrate that Oxfam and PNG’s government can work in partnership to build sustainable WaSH infrastructure for people in rural PNG.

School Inspector George Leffy, Pastor Ken, and Norman Kassa, talk about water access challenges and their support for the work of TTU and FLOW, in a village in the Eastern Highlands District.

SUSTAINABILITY

One of the most important aspects of this project is to ensure that it sustains itself long after the project is complete. To make sure that communities have ownership of these initiatives and maintain the toilets, latrines, and water points, we have established community WaSH committees. The main function of the committee is to advocate for WaSH needs at the district level, with a particular focus on pushing for increased funding for WaSH service delivery in the district. Oxfam has established 8 committees (with a plan for 12 total) and signed several MoUs with communities and provincial health boards. This helps clarify who is responsible for the sustainability and maintenance of the water systems once they’re installed.

THE CONTINUING CHALLENGE OF COVID-19

Covid-19 is widespread throughout the Highlands of Papua New Guinea which has had intense impacts on our colleagues and partners. Every staff member has been fully vaccinated and returned to work. Oxfam Aotearoa is staying in close contact with our colleagues in PNG to see how we can continue to support them and the communities they work with, as they navigate their response to Covid-19. However, FLOW’s ongoing work to provide water, hygiene training and handwashing stations remains vital to help stop the spread of Covid-19 and other diseases into the long term.

Oxfam: New Zealand must do more for PNG – urgently

November 16, 2021

Papua New Guinea faces a deadly pandemic of misinformation

In response to the New Zealand government sending a medical and logistics support team to Papua New Guinea (PNG) over the weekend, Oxfam Aotearoa says that while essential supplies and support is a good contribution, the government can, and must, do more.

Oxfam Aotearoa Communications and Advocacy Director Dr Jo Spratt said:

“Recently, we heard Hon. Minister Mahuta outline how Aotearoa would partner with Pacific countries to achieve resilience. Referring to our Pacific neighbours as family, the Minister recognised our deep and enduring whakapapa connections – Tātai Hono, and reiterated the importance of Tātou Tātou – all of us together. If there is any time to put these values into action, it is when one of our family members is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. This support from the government is a good start, but more needs to be done and urgently.”

Oxfam Papua New Guinea Country Director Eunice Wotene says that as the third coronavirus wave escalates out of control in the country, people are experiencing a lot of challenges. There are multiple issues over Covid-19 vaccinations, lockdowns, and an overwhelmed health system further perpetuating an already stressful situation.

In an effort to control the outbreak, the PNG government has put in place control measures banning gatherings of more than 20 people and encouraging the general public to follow the “Niupela Pasin” (new normal). Provincial Controllers like that of the Eastern Highland Province have implemented travel restrictions across the borders between districts. Wotene says that control measures implemented at the provincial level have helped reduce the spread of infection and has resulted in a reduction in the number of cases presenting at the hospital. However, this has also caused challenges and restricted people from getting to vaccination centres. It has also created economic challenges for people because they can’t get to markets, sell their produce, and earn an income to sustain themselves. This has, in turn, led to an increase in other social issues like petty crimes.

Thousands of doses of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been coming into PNG from neighbouring countries, but despite the large number of vaccines, PNG is struggling to get its vaccination rates above 9 per cent. Wotene says that while vaccines are welcome and needed, people are either misinformed about the risks, or unable to get vaccines:

“The situation is complicated. Many of our people live in remote rural villages. Information and vaccines aren’t reaching them, and travel restrictions between district borders make things difficult. For some people, even if they could make it to a clinic, they aren’t going because of the misinformation out there about the vaccines’ side-effects. There is a real sense of urgency now that we must do all we can to reach these people.

“In some villages, two or more family members have died from Covid-19, just days or weeks apart. We have a health system overcome with sick people and our people are dying.”

Local and international media recently reported that due to Port Moresby morgues being overwhelmed with the dead, PNG authorities had no choice but to approve mass burial.

New World Bank research, titled Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Survey and Experimental Evidence from Papua New Guinea, examined the motivation behind vaccine hesitancy in Papua New Guinea and tested various means of increasing people’s willingness to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. The report found that one of the main hurdles for Papua New Guineans was the fear of the vaccine itself. However, people’s replies also indicated they were open to learning more, particularly if information came from health workers. The research showed that when people were given basic information on the safety of the vaccine and the dangers of Covid-19 that increased the percentage of people who said they were willing to be vaccinated.

Wotene said: “We need health workers to go to the people to provide useful and factual information and help ease their fears. There is also need for mobile clinics where people from the rural communities can be reached for vaccination.”

Dr Spratt said: “In addition to the recent support and supplies, the NZ government should send new emergency funding to support the PNG government and other development partners to rapidly roll-out vaccine information campaigns across the country. This could be done through village health workers, local radio stations and other locally-appropriate communication methods.

“New Zealand still has millions of spare AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines that we are not using here. We can and should donate these to PNG.”

Ends

Notes:

See the full report Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Survey and Experimental Evidence from Papua New Guinea

Thank You – Clean Water Appeal Donation

Thank you for your generous gift!
You will receive your donation receipt via email.

On behalf of mothers and babies in Papua New Guinea, our local partners, and the team at Oxfam Aotearoa, I wanted to say thank you so much for your donation.

You are supporting systemic change which means your donation will have maximum impact. Your generosity is helping to create sustained, transformative change across families, communities, and generations.

We can’t thank you enough for your generous support and display of kaha (courage), tika (justice) and mannakitanga (connectedness). Together we are working to build a better world now and for future generations

Jason Myers,
Kaiwhakahaere Executive Director, Oxfam Aotearoa

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Oxfam concerned with the recent spike in PNG COVID-19 cases

August 2, 2020

Oxfam in PNG with its local partners is deeply concerned with the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases reported in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The recent increase within the communities exposes many people, particularly the most vulnerable, to the risk of possibly contracting the virus.

Oxfam PNG Country Director, Anand Das, explained that in response to the alarming number of new COVID-19 cases Oxfam remains committed to supporting the work being done by Government in ensuring the safety of its citizens especially in vulnerable communities by re-enforcing the need to adhere to COVID-19 protocols and preventative measures.

“We have observed that there is still a large number of people who are not adhering or are unable to adhere to the preventative measures enforced by Government and this is extremely worrying. The National Department of Health has also reported seeing community transmission in the National Central District, making our work in amplifying our awareness messages even more vital at this point,” said Mr Das.

PNG lifted its COVID-19 Pandemic State of Emergency on 2 June 2020 and in the first week of July three more cases were confirmed. Thereafter, the total number of reported cases increased to 31 and then 62 within just a few days. As of 1 August, total cases have now increased to 91; including 51 active cases and two deaths.

The PNG government has taken immediate action by restricting domestic travel, increasing provincial border checks, and making wearing of masks mandatory, restricting public gatherings, imposing of curfews and intensifying contact tracing efforts.

“Testing clinics have also been set-up in various centres and the St John’s Ambulance is also providing testing services at a small fee to assist. We encourage people to take advantage of this service and most importantly to adhere to the protocols,” said Mr Das.

He explained that there is growing concern also with the lack of understanding by the public on the need to utilise these clinics and the laxity in adhering to the preventative measures. “There is a need for more coordinated communication to re-enforce the messaging and this is where civil society organisations, NGOs and local partners can assist in reaching out to the people.”

Oxfam has initiated its COVID-19 Response Plan with support from the Australian Humanitarian Partnership Disaster Ready (DFAT) programme to spread community awareness through different forms of local and international media. Assistance received from the New Zealand Government (through MFAT) is also being initiated with an integrated approach of public health projects, awareness on COVID protocols, addressing food and income security of vulnerable populations and supporting district and provincial administration in the response.

“With the restrictions, our immediate concern is the safety and well-being of our staff and their families as well. We are also concerned with the safety of our partners in the communities and we may consider scaling down some of our programs on the ground and focus more on risk communication and community engagement by providing more COVID-19 awareness through the media,” explained Das.

Das also added that cases are expected to increase, and Oxfam in PNG will focus on community outreach and awareness on COVID-19 protocols throughout the next 12-18 months, while concentrating on building resilience of communities through food security and nutritional activities, hand hygiene and safe sanitation, and gender and inclusion, including addressing gender relations and women’s increased workloads in the long run and supporting district and provincial administration in finalising their COVID-19 Response Plans.

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For interviews or more information please contact: 
Kelsey-Rae Taylor | Kelsey-Rae.Taylor@oxfam.org.nz | +64 21 298 9854