Report - Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights

Elizabeth Tongne, Papua New Guinea
The Papua New Guinea (PNG) government promotes development <strong>of</strong> natural resources in rural areas.
So many development projects that have been introduced in rural areas have resulted in removing
communities. So rural people want to find alternatives to developing <strong>the</strong> natural resources and <strong>the</strong>ir land.
Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> land in PNG is customarily owned (97%), with only 3% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> land being State owned.
PNG is a big country with lots <strong>of</strong> different ethnic grouping, who have different ways <strong>of</strong> passing on
land to <strong>the</strong> next generation. So <strong>the</strong> land tenure system is not <strong>the</strong> same in all parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> country.
Case study 1 – Migrants into oil palm resettlement projects (West New Britain)
Maggie is 40 years old. She is married and has four children. When she was two years old <strong>the</strong> first
logging company came to her village. The company asked her people for some land, which <strong>the</strong>y
purchased with some tobacco and an axe. Her fa<strong>the</strong>r and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r men in <strong>the</strong> community were used
as labourers to cut <strong>the</strong> bush down. Once <strong>the</strong> company established itself it brought in its machinery
and started logging <strong>the</strong> land.
After <strong>the</strong> timber was logged, Maggies’ parents and community were told to plant oil palm on <strong>the</strong> land.
The company extended its activities in logging beyond <strong>the</strong> agreed land that was given in <strong>the</strong> first place.
Later <strong>the</strong> Provincial government introduced a resettlement programme. People from all over PNG
applied for blocks <strong>of</strong> land which <strong>the</strong>y eventually got. A large number <strong>of</strong> families from all over PNG
were moved in to settle on <strong>the</strong> blocks <strong>of</strong> land and grown oil palm. Housing is a big problem for women
and men among both communities and settlers.
Maggie’s home is surrounded by both <strong>the</strong> oil palm blocks and <strong>the</strong> logging company. Her village
population has also increased, but cannot expand, because <strong>the</strong> oil palms take up <strong>the</strong> land. Women
have to travel longer distances to find materials to build houses. These two forms <strong>of</strong> development have
exploited Maggie’s community’s land for <strong>the</strong> past 40 years.
Issues –
– Her freedom to move around is threatened;
– There is an endless crisis between <strong>the</strong> settlers and her local community;
– Lack <strong>of</strong> materials for both landowners and settlers to build adequate housing;
– Labour intensive;
– Low income from oil palms;
– Uncertainty <strong>of</strong> children’s future;
– Destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> environment;
– Pollution in <strong>the</strong> rivers and sea.
Violators – ADB/World Bank/UNDP, Government <strong>of</strong> PNG, West New Britain Provincial government,
local level government, churches.
Victims – Most affected are women and children.
Actions/Interventions – World Bank and UNDP to stop funding projects which fail to support <strong>the</strong>
livelihoods <strong>of</strong> local communities.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 205