By FORCERT

In Papua New Guinea, approximately 97% of land is customary, collectively controlled by clans, tribes and communities. This land serves as the foundation of life and security for the country’s rural communities, and is protected from alienation except under special circumstances, with the communities’ consent.

A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime provides evidence Papua New Guinea could be missing out on billions of Kina in taxes and royalties from the logging industry.

ACT NOW! and Jubilee Australia Research Centre are urging a United Nations Committee to act on human rights violations in PNG arising from illegal logging. The organisations have filed a formal request to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to consider taking urgent action at its next meeting in August. Bismarck Ramu Group has also endorsed the action.

Cathy Tukne | Information Coordinator

Papua New Guinea (PNG) stands at a crossroads. For decades, its development narrative has been dominated by resource extraction gold, copper, oil, gas, timber, and palm oil, promising prosperity but delivering inequality. While foreign corporations profit, most Papua New Guineans remain marginalized, their environments scarred, and their futures uncertain.

A new report on logging in Papua New Guinea calls for urgent action by authorities in PNG and overseas to address long standing issue related to illegal logging, human rights abuses and environmental harm.

By Eddie Tanago

World Press Freedom Day is observed every year to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to uphold and maintain freedom of expression.

Papua New Guinea is one tough environment to be a journalist or an advocate for good governance and human rights. PNG is riddled with corruption that has grown tentacles into every sphere of life and trying to expose it can mean facing death threats and expensive lawsuits.

Commentary by ACT NOW!

ACT NOW! welcomes the recent government announcement of extra funding support to the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) to allow physical inspection of district projects funded under the Service Improvement Program. But ACT NOW says the department must be transparent about which projects get inspected and the inspection reports must be made public for transparency and accountability purposes.

Source: Post Courier 15th April, 2025

By Scott Waide

In the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, a quiet revolution is brewing—one that could reshape the future of coffee production and rural economic development.