Papua New Guinea - IOM, in partnership with the National and Provincial Disaster Centres, is beginning a year-long project to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and empower them to cope with natural disasters and the effects of climate change. The project is funded by the US Agency for International Development, Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance.

The project targets some 30,000 vulnerable individuals living in the Northern and Morobe Provinces of PNG. The levels of disaster risk in these communities are compounded by socio-economic and environmental factors: the remote, rugged terrain leaves them isolated from resources and assistance, whilst knowledge of the causes, results, and possible preventative measures is extremely limited.

“We are prioritizing community involvement as we have seen in the past decade that top-down strategies fail to address the needs of vulnerable communities on the frontline of disasters,” said IOM Papua New Guinea Chief of Mission Giuseppe Crocetti.

The project will also provide small grants for support to local NGOs and community groups for community-based disaster risk management initiatives.

Acting director of the National Disaster Centre, Martin Mose, commended IOM for “offering PNG the best choice of programme for the benefit of rural communities, where the bulk of our population lives.”

US Ambassador Walter North highlighted “the United States commitment to support the Government of Papua New Guinea’s efforts is not only in times of crises, instead, US efforts strive to build more resilient communities in PNG in the face of increased risks and impacts from natural disasters due to climate change.”

PNG is exposed to many natural hazards, including flooding, drought, typhoons, wave surges, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. The country experiences cyclical effects of the El Niño phenomenon and the resultant floods have led to decreased agricultural production, damage to infrastructure, displacement of communities and loss of property and livelihoods.

To fill these gaps at the provincial, district and village level, IOM will establish appropriate community learning systems in which IOM, government and community groups will work together to enhance the understanding of individuals, households and larger social groups on  disasters, vulnerabilities, risk reduction and preparedness. These systems will allow for development of appropriate training and awareness-raising.

For more information, please contact

Wonesai Sithole
Tel.: +6753213655
Email: wsithole@iom.int