[{"bbox": [85, 154, 323, 186], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 220, 235, 247], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [97, 266, 524, 293], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Political Outlook and Intervention Strategy"}, {"bbox": [97, 302, 1134, 620], "category": "Text", "text": "Strategic engagement with Papua New Guinea (PNG) is an important aspect of the EU's Indo-Pacific Strategy. With 80% of the Pacific countries' landmass, population and economy, large reserves in critical mineral resources and as a focus of intensifying competing geo-political interests, the importance of PNG for the EU is growing. PNG's threatened forests and biodiversity, and the country's vulnerability to climate change, offer an opportunity for strategic engagement for the EU and thus also supporting its global green agenda. While affected by various layers of fragility and deeply-rooted gender inequality which manifests itself in one of the world's highest levels of violence against women and girls, PNG adheres to EU fundamental values, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and has abolished the death penalty in January, although there are political and societal actors requesting to re-introduce it. Parliamentary elections took place in mid-2022. Two women were selected in the new Parliament after highly controversial elections. Due to its strategic geographic local location in the Pacific, rising geopolitical tensions in the region and the presence of natural, mineral and energy resources, PNG saw a boost in high level international visits during 2022 and 2023."}, {"bbox": [97, 620, 1134, 778], "category": "Text", "text": "All actions, including the present action, under MIP 2021-2027 are aligned with PNG's Medium term Development Plans IV (MTDP IV) (2023-2027). Target priority area 1 'Forestry-Climate Change-Biodiversity (FCCB) nexus' is contributing to the EU-FR led Country Package for Forest, Nature and Climate for PNG where the EU and EU MS collaborate as Team Europe while target priority areas 1 and 2 'Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WaSH) for human development' are aligned with the regional Team Europe Initiative 'the Green Blue Alliance for the Pacific'."}, {"bbox": [97, 806, 322, 833], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Specific Sector context"}, {"bbox": [97, 841, 1134, 975], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will contribute to MIP Priority area 2: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) for Human Development. PNG is among the countries worldwide with the least access to WaSH, severely undermining human development, health and livelihoods. This action will contribute to improving health and livelihoods for people through improved access to water supply services in selected district towns in Papua New Guinea, including contributing to Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction in the capital city, Port Moresby."}, {"bbox": [97, 975, 1134, 1028], "category": "Text", "text": "The proposed action is part of a wider project including blending and will be implemented through two complementary components:"}, {"bbox": [97, 1028, 1134, 1161], "category": "List-item", "text": "1. Component 1: Infrastructure - will be implemented via a blending action with the EIB and will focus on improving equitable access to safe, affordable and sustainable water supply services in five (5) district towns in PNG including contributing to the reduction of the high rate of NRW in Port Moresby. This component is not covered under this Action Document. The EIB is in charge of preparing the application form for the blending component which will be treated separately."}, {"bbox": [97, 1161, 1134, 1240], "category": "List-item", "text": "2. Component 2: Technical Assistance - the subject of this action document will support the capacity building of the beneficiary agency, Water PNG (WPNG) to effectively implement and monitor the infrastructure component (component 1)."}, {"bbox": [85, 1281, 341, 1312], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 1327, 1134, 1536], "category": "Text", "text": "While some progress has been achieved in the past, PNG still belongs to the countries worldwide with the lowest WaSH related indicators. The need to improve access to clean water and sanitation is recognised in the Papua New Guinea Vision 2050², where Government seeks to increase access to clean water from 39% to 100% of the population by 2050. Similar targets, though with different time horizons, are foreseen in the Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030 and the Water PNG Strategic Master Plan 2012-2030. The National WaSH Policy 2015-2030 reaffirms the various targets in the long term. Most recent, the MTDP IV 2023-2027 states as targets for 2027: (i) 70% of urban population has access to improved drinking water source and (ii) 60% has access to improved sanitation."}, {"bbox": [85, 1623, 571, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "² Within the strategic focus on Sustainability and climate change"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 16"}]