About 570 male asylum seekers and refugees live in PNG, most on Manus Island. The U.S. Papua New Guinea successfully hosted APEC in 2018, culminating in a Leaders’ Summit in November 2018 attended by Vice President Pence. Factbook > Countries > Papua New Guinea > Geography. “We and the communities we are working with have now entered into a … 6.0 Future Options to more effectively address Papua New Guinea’s Principal Environmental Concerns 6.1 Overview 77 6.2 Increasing Land Degradation 79 6.3 Increasing Risk from Hazardous Materials and Wastes 80 6.4 Declining Water Quality in Rivers and Coastal Waters 82 6.5 Disturbed or Unpredictable Hydrological Regimes 83 Guinea, in its turn, is etymologically derived from the Portuguese word Guiné. The politics of Papua New Guinea takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government. Close to 90 percent of the population live in rural areas and access to these widely scattered communities is often difficult, slow and expensive. In April, media reported that anti-corruption police are investigating the Governor of Port Moresby Powes Parkop, after a former official revealed the city council was paying A$1.2 million (approximately US$870,000) a year to a yoga and health company run by his alleged partner. Overcrowding and dire prison conditions led to prison breakouts. Women wave Papua New Guinean flags as they watch Chinese President Xi Jinping and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill travel in a motorcade along the newly-dedicated Independence Drive Boulevard in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. HIV and AIDS. In June, following a class action settlement, the Australian government paid A$70 million (approximately US$51million) in compensation to asylum seekers and refugees for their illegal detention on Manus Island. Few police are ever held to account for beating or torturing criminal suspects, a common occurrence. Chronic problems continued to plague the criminal justice system in PNG, including abuses by police. Access to mental health care is limited, and many people with psychosocial disabilities and their families often consider traditional healers to be the only option. China provided significant infrastructure support—including the A$35million (approximately US$25.4 million) convention center—and President Xi Jinping invited Pacific Island leaders to a special summit ahead of APEC. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a resource-rich country, yet almost 40 percent of the population lives in poverty. West Papuan nationalists of the Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka) have often been in conflict with the Indonesian armed forces. It allows MPs to hop between parties - leading to tradition of instability and growing urgency … Aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or fog. DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972. News about Papua New Guinea, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. 2. ... the issue of West Papua … The leases represent over 10 percent of the country’s total landmass and potentially impact more than 700,000 people. Transparency International’s 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Papua New Guinea 139th in a li… Indonesian court issues guilty verdicts in West Papua trial. In 1996, Papua New Guinea had the highest per capita HIV prevalence in the North and South Pacific regions. Papua New Guinea’s hosting of the 2018 Asia−Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit was part of a push for greater international standing, with O’Neill projecting Papua New Guinea as a regional leader advancing Pacific Islands issues … Nearly all were forcibly transferred to PNG by Australia in 2013. Papua New Guinea Maps of the World - Interactive World Fact Book - Papua New Guinea Flags, Maps, Economy, Geography, Climate, Natural Resources, Current Issues, International Agreements, Population, Social Statistics, Political System In 2013, the Family Protection Act was passed, which criminalizes domestic violence and allows victims to obtain protection orders. Biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption. More than 200 children in Papua New Guinea die of diarrhea each year due to lack of sanitation and … China is set to overtake Australia as the largest donor to PNG, though most assistance is in the form of infrastructure loans rather than aid. In 2007, The Hon Malakai Tabar MP was elected Member of Parliament representing the Gazelle Open Electorate. The government’s 2013 Sorcery National Action Plan is inadequately funded and has yet to be implemented. Defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control, and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health. Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders economic resources. Effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting it. Communica… In May, a fire in Hillside Haus forced the relocation of 120 residents. Abandoned Rio Tinto Mine Is Blamed for Poisoned Bougainville Rivers Residents of the Papua New Guinea region have accused the mining giant of environmental and human rights violations … During his first term in parliament he was in Opposition, and was appointed Shadow Minister for Customary Land is being leased by the Lands Department by landowners. Inadequate skills and weak capacity in the public service are the most critical inhibitors to development in PNG. Carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits. Papua New Guinea, which experiences regular quakes, had a 7.0 magnitude earthquake earlier this year, which struck a remote part of the country on 17 July. Barrick looking to reopen Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea’s top two bankers – Loi Bakani, Governor of the Bank of Papua New Guinea and Robin Fleming, Chief Executive of Bank South Pacific – have set the record straight on the country's foreign exchange challenges. Papua New Guinea has been gripped by political turmoil for almost a week now. Ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms. Deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth. A foreign tax credit may be available to offset foreign tax paid against PNG tax payable (see the Foreign tax relief and tax treaties section). Soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification. Limiting Beijing’s Influence Over Accountability and Justice, Convincing “Middle Powers” to Fight Autocrats Despite High Costs, Time to Re-Energize the “Never Again” Movement, Human Judgment and Responsibility in the Age of Technology, Helping Older People Stay Connected, and at Home, Changing the Terms of Engagement with Silicon Valley. Corrective Services ordered an inquiry in 2017, but at time of writing no investigation had begun, allegedly due to lack of funding. PNG continues to have one of the highest rates of maternal death in the Asia-Pacific, and the number of women and girls who give birth in a health facility or with the help of a skilled birth attendant has reduced in the last five years. Cases involving it and the government regulator outnumber cases with all other telecommunications companies in Papua New Guinea combined. The Australian Department of Home Affairs has acknowledged that medical services have been reduced since the men were forcibly removed from the main center in 2017. Australasia. Iron deficiency anaemia and adverse birth outcomes in a malaria-endemic region of Papua New Guinea. I. Asian Development Bank. As of 2010, 13,500 Papuan refugees live in exile in the neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG), and occasionally, the fighting spills over the border. Identification. Papua New Guinea Hospitality graduates at the Australia-Pacific Technical College graduation at Port Moresby PNG. NW., Washington, DC 20036 (tel. 3. Desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi-arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change. In October, a local man violently assaulted an Iranian refugee who was hospitalized with serious injuries to his head and eyes. Current Account to GDP in Papua New Guinea averaged 2.83 percent from 1994 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 26.70 percent in 2018 and a record low of -36.10 percent in 2012. We did an Issues Paper on SME Taxation and proposed in our Final Report that the Government simplify the Tax for SMEs. Current local time in Papua New Guinea – Lae. Police often beat children in lock-ups and house them with adults, despite a child justice law that states children should be kept separate from adults during all stages of the criminal justice process. Australia pays for refugees’ living expenses but refuses to resettle them in Australia, insisting they must settle in PNG or third countries, such as the United States. Beginning in 1991, Papua New Guinea's banknotes have been produced on polymer, although in 2009 the bank issued Kina & Toea Day commemorative notes on paper substrates. [32] Papua New Guinea's parliament has been complimented for its stability in recent years, but this has come at the cost of robust debate. Click here for collectible banknotes! US resettlement from Manus remains slow, with 163 resettled as of October. As of 2002, the crude birth rate and overall mortality rate were estimated at, respectively, 31.6 and 7.8 per 1,000 people. Buchtar Tabuni, one of the leading West Papua activists and part of ‘Balikpapan Seven’, sentenced to 11 months in jail. Despite the ombudsman and police announcing investigations into the 2016 police shooting of eight student protesters in Port Moresby, at time of writing no police had been charged or disciplined and neither body had issued a report. Asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in particulate form. The Government of Papua New Guinea is trying to address those issues with the help from several agencies like, AusAid, JICA, World Bank, European Union etc. Two men – Michale Somare and Peter O'Neill – are currently claiming to be the rightful prime minister of the nation. This program trains field epidemiologists—or disease detectives—to identify and contain outbreaks before they become epidemics. Papua New Guinea Current Issues., Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Following a 2016 PNG Supreme Court decision that detaining asylum seekers is unconstitutional, in November 2017, the Australian and PNG government closed the main center on Manus and relocated refugees and asylum seekers to other accommodation facilities on the island. Pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste. Waterborne diseases - those in which bacteria survive in, and are transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an untreated water supply. Based on these developments and Contrary to some suggestions, the shortage of foreign exchange is due to imbalances between supply and demand, rather than controls, they say. That, in turn, has often led to incursions into Papua New Guinean territory by refugees, rebels, and Indonesian troops pursuing them. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea is Erin Elizabeth McKee. Corruption in PNG is widespread. In small groups, students are invited to work for a non-government organisation, conduct research and submit a proposal addressing health issues in Papua New Guinea. 202-745-3680). Sorcery-related violence continued unabated, with women and girls the primary targets. In 2017, the government passed regulations to implement the law, but enforcement remains weak and inconsistent. Slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this practice is sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences for the environment. Despite the existence of a national disability policy, people with disabilities are often unable to participate in community life, go to school, or work because of lack of accessibility, stigma, and other barriers. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: Asian Development Bank, 2014. HIV prevalence was 0.2 per 100 adults. Bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its habitat. Papua New Guinea hit by 6.3-magnitude earthquake. Australian government aid to PNG for the year 2018-19 is A$572 million (approximately US$411.3 million). Papua is probably derived from the Malay word papuwah ("fuzzy hair"). The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid rain).Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England.