[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1100, 207], "category": "Text", "text": "2. National and local civil society organizations play a more influential and active role in articulating citizens' concerns in the public arena, engaging in initiatives to further participatory democracy."}, {"bbox": [85, 262, 323, 292], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 328, 234, 354], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [97, 399, 1123, 585], "category": "Text", "text": "The civil society in Papua New Guinea has been influenced by the roles of the churches and traditional set up of the PNG social system. Churches in PNG are the largest and most prominent components of civil society, fulfilling primary service-delivery roles, particularly in health and education and recently to some extent providing family protection services such as Safe Refuge Centres for survivors of family and domestic violence. They provide about 50% of PNG's health services, run three universities (Pacific Adventist University, Divine Word University and St Martin Lutheran University) and are estimated to co-manage roughly 40% of the primary and secondary schools throughout the country."}, {"bbox": [97, 612, 1124, 771], "category": "Text", "text": "Beyond the churches, many local CSOs have mushroomed but failed in the ensuing years and eventually ceased their activities. Civil society in PNG lack diversity, density, and there is little cooperation among CSOs. Compared to the churches, which have played a strong role in civil society, there are few organizations based on voluntary membership such as trade unions, cooperatives and federations and few tertiary-level organizations. Civil society over the years has evolved and today in PNG civil society includes a range of church-run and secular organizations."}, {"bbox": [97, 798, 1133, 1059], "category": "Text", "text": "In addition, organisations representing employers and workers (social partners), help to improve living and working conditions. They also play a crucial role in adapting to changing economic and social circumstances and to ensure social fairness and democracy at work and society at large to support prosperity and resilience. Effective social dialogue can help to improve the design of public policies. PNG's social partners are the Papua New Guinea Trade Union Congress, the Employers' Federation of Papua New Guinea and the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations. In 2023, the Government demonstrated commitment to promoting the application of the principle of social dialogue by ratifying the Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards Convention) 1976 (No, 144). The National Tripartite Consultative Council (NTCC) is established under the Industrial Relations Act 1962 and is required to meet twice each year. Social partners that are non-state actors will also be considered under this action."}, {"bbox": [97, 1089, 1132, 1327], "category": "Text", "text": "Internationally affiliated NGOs, such as Child Fund, Save the Children, World Vision PNG and Transparency International are active in the space of advocacy, training and capacity building and awareness. They operate within their defined areas of mandates such as child rights and protection, WaSH and human rights. CSOs are more vocal in urban than in rural areas. While broader coalitions and allegiances appear to be emerging, clan-based politics still dominate, focussing attention on local needs and thereby inhibiting the development of a unified civil society voice. Like churches, civil society as a whole in PNG is not homogenous. They are active in a variety of areas, among them: community development, youth issues, gender equality, human rights, environmental protection, education and capacity building, health, family welfare and domestic violence, food security and poverty alleviation."}, {"bbox": [97, 1354, 1090, 1486], "category": "Text", "text": "Other civil society actors have been particularly active in conservation and natural resource management, particularly in response to extractive industries and logging. A number of international and indigenous CSOs strongly advocate for local landowners' rights and for environment protection with regard to mining, fishing, forestry; as well as for issues related to the country's liquefied natural gas and on promulgating integrity, transparency and accountability."}, {"bbox": [97, 1513, 1126, 1646], "category": "Text", "text": "The government and the Christian Churches signed the Partnership Policy Framework for Service Delivery in 2010 and after more than 13 years, implementation of this partnership framework remains largely a challenge. The Medium Term Development Plan IV 2022-2027 and the Vision 2050, are the frameworks of the Papua New Guinea Government for medium and long-term strategies that map out the future direction for the country and directly acknowledge a role for civil society, especially churches representing the majority of civil society in the"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 4 of 13"}]