UNWomenissuesthisalerttohighlightthegender-specificimpacts of theCOVID-19pandemic in PapuaNewGuinea(PNG)onwomen’s lives. This alert outlines the value andimportance of women’s participation and leadership inhumanitarian and political action. It focuses on whywomen’sleadershipandmeaningfulparticipationisaright,andcanleadtomoresustainableresponsestocrisis.

Inequality between women and men hinders women’sability to influence and participate in crisis planning andresponse.Withthisinmind,thisalertconcludeswithasetofrecommendationsforconsiderationbykeynationalandinternationalstakeholdersinPapuaNewGuineatoensurewomen’sneedsareeffectivelyaddressed intheCOVID-19response.UNWomenPNGiscommittedtoadvancingtherightsandmeetingtheneedsofwomenandgirls,includingintheCOVID-19response.

CONTEXTCOVID-19 comes at a time when gender inequality,widespread gender-based violence, and weak rule of lawand service delivery are negatively impacting Papua NewGuinea’s economic and social development. Despite thepresence of capable women leaders and activists able tocontribute to PNG’s development, peacebuilding andCOVID-19 response efforts, women remain under-representedinpolitical,health,humanitarianandeconomicdecision-makingforums.

PapuaNewGuineaisoneoftheleasturbanisedcountriesintheworld,withapproximately85percentofthepopulationliving in ruralareaswithvery limited infrastructure.1Asaresult,servicedeliveryisaconsiderablechallengeinmanyremote areas. The country has aGender Inequality Indexvalueof0.740,rankingit161outof162countriesin2018,and155outof189countriesontheHumanDevelopmentIndex.Overall,womenspendlesstimeinschool,experience

5August2020

WOMEN’SPARTICIPATIONANDLEADERSHIPINTHECOVID-19RESPONSE

1UnitedNations(2017).PapuaNewGuineaUnitedNationsDevelopmentAssistanceFramework2018-2022.

GENDERALERTONCOVID-19INPAPUANEWGUINEA

5August2020

UNWomen/ChristopherKageni

highratesofmaternalmortalityandadolescentbirths,havelimitedaccesstolawandjusticeservicesandparticipateata lower rate in the formal labour force thanmen.2Whiledifficult to capture a comprehensive picture of violenceagainst women and girls across the country, regionalfindingssuggestitispervasive.3

STATUSOFWOMEN’SPOLITICALPARTICIPATIONWomeninPapuaNewGuineahavemadegainsinadvancingtheir participation in political and public life, for examplethrough the establishment of the Office for theDevelopment of Women and the passage of theBougainvilleWomen’sFederationBillinJune20204,aswellasestablishedgrassrootsnetworksofwomenhumanrightsdefenders in some regions across the country. In theAutonomousRegionofBougainville(ARoB),representativesfrom women’s groups played an essential role in thenegotiations that resulted in the Bougainville PeaceAgreement and disseminating information about theprocessacrosstheirnetworksandwithintheircommunities.TheBougainvillePeaceAgreementisalsooneofaverysmallnumber of peace agreements globally that has a womansignatory.5However, women continue to be significantlyunderrepresented in decision-making and leadershippositions.Sincegaining independence in1975,onlysevenwomenhavebeenelectedto thenationalparliamentandonly three women have been in parliament at any giventime.6InPapuaNewGuinea’s2017parliamentaryelectionsnotasinglewomanwaselected,leavingthecountrytiedforlast place (alongside Vanuatu and Micronesia) in aninternational ranking of 193 countries by the Inter-

ParliamentaryUnionmeasuring the number ofwomen inparliament.7 However, at the subnational level, theBougainvilleHouse of Representatives has three reservedseats for women and the 2015 Autonomous BougainvilleGovernmentelectionsawthefirstwomancandidatewininanopenseat.The challenges facing women’s equal and meaningfulpoliticalparticipationandleadershipinPapuaNewGuineaare due to a variety of systemic, structural, and culturalfactors.Atthenationallevel,fewwomencontestelections,andthosethatdo,tendtolackthesupportandresourcesrequired.Duringelections,‘moneypolitics’,thepracticeofvotebuyingand‘communityvoting’impactwomen’sabilitytofreelyexercisetheirrighttovoteandparticipate intheelectoralprocess.8 Gender stereotypesalsocontribute tothe stigmatization of women who are perceived as lesseducated, in particular singlemothers, and are thereforediscouragedfromexercisingtheirrighttovote.9Forthefewwomenwhodoholdleadershippositions,theircapacitytoexercisethisleadershipisstronglyinfluencedbygenderedandpoliticaldynamicsoftheinstitutionsinwhichtheyareoperating.

2UNDP(2018).HumanDevelopmentIndicesandIndicators:2018StatisticalUpdate.Accessedon15July2020.3UNHumanRightsCouncil,ReportoftheSpecialRapporteuronviolenceagainstwomen,itscausesandconsequences,Addendum:MissiontoPapuaNewGuinea,18March2013,A/HRC/23/49/Add.2.;UNWomen(2014).ScopingStudy:EnsuringsafepublictransportwithandforwomenandgirlsinPortMoresby;Ganster-Breidler,M.(2010).Gender-basedviolenceandtheimpactonwomen’shealthandwellbeinginPapuaNewGuinea,ContemporaryPNGStudies,Vol13.;Jewkes,R.,Fulu,E.,Roselli,T.andGarcia-Moreno,C.(2013).Prevalenceofandfactorsassociatedwithnon-partnerrapeperpetration:FindingsfromtheUNMulticountryCross-sectionalStudyonMenandViolenceinAsiaandthePacific.TheLancetGlobalHealth,1(4),208-218.4TheBougainvilleWomen’sFederationBillwaspassedbytheBougainvilleHouseofRepresentativeson11June2020followingwideconsultations.TheBillestablishestheBougainvilleWomen’sFederationasthepeaknon-governmentalorganisationresponsibleforrepresentingtheinterestsofwomenfromacrosstheregion.5Globally,womenconstitute4percentofsignatoriestoexistingpeaceagreements.(UNWomen(2012).Women’sparticipationinpeacenegotiations:Connectionsbetweenpresenceandinfluence.)6PapuaNewGuineaisaparliamentarydemocracywithanationalparliamentcomprisedof111seats.Currently,therearenospecialmeasures,temporaryorotherwise,inplacetosupportwomen’selectoralrepresentationintheNationalParliament.7InternationalParliamentaryUnion(2019).Womeninnationalparliaments.Accessed14July2020.8Haley,N.andZubrinich,K.(2015).AssessingtheShifttoLimitedPreferentialVotinginPapuaNewGuinea:MoneyPolitics.SSGMInBrief2015/30.Canberra:ANU.;Haley,NandZubrinich,K.(2018).2017PapuaNewGuineaGeneralElections,ElectionObservationReport.Canberra:ANU.9InternationalFoundationforElectoralSystems(2019).ViolenceagainstwomeninelectionsintheAutonomousRegionofBougainville:AnIFESassessment.

WHYAGENDER-RESPONSIVEAPPROACHTOCOVID-19MATTERS

EMERGINGGENDEREDIMPACTSThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought pre-existing genderinequalities to the fore, clearly demonstrating how theseinequalitiesareexacerbatedintimesofcrisis.

The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women’ssocial,politicalandeconomicwellbeingacrosstheglobehasbeen well-documented. Women’s unpaid care anddomesticworkloadhasincreasedwithschoolclosuresandtheneed to care for sick relatives, funding for sexual andreproductive health services has been diverted, gender-based violence has increased exponentially and women’seconomic security has worsened considerably.10 As aconsequence,thesocial,politicalandeconomicgainsmadebywomenacrosstheglobeareatrisk.On24March2020,theGovernmentofPapuaNewGuineadeclaredaNationalStateofEmergency(SOE)inresponsetotheCOVID-19pandemic,whichofficiallyendedon16June2020.11Under theSOE,containmentmeasures resulted inthetemporaryclosureofmarkets,akeysourceof incomefor many women across the country, intermittentsuspension of public transport and the diversion of staffaway from Family Support Centres12 towards COVID-19efforts.AnassessmentoftheimpactofCOVID-19onmarketvendors, conductedbyUNWomenPNG inMayand June2020highlightedanincomelossofuptothreequartersforwomen vendors in district markets as a consequence of‘lockdown’measures.14RecentfindingsfromthePNGgender-basedviolencesub-cluster on the State Of Emergency in Papua New Guinearevealed a 31 percent overall decrease in the number ofclients accessing GBV services as compared to the 2020period preceding the SOE.15 According to the report,

economicstresswasaprimarycauseofviolenceduringtheStateofEmergencyperiod.Transportlimitations,increasedcaregiving and domestic responsibilities, and a lack ofinformation on COVID-19 were also among a few of therecordedbarrierspreventingsurvivorsfromaccessingvitalservices.Given the emerging gendered impacts of COVID-19 onwomeninPapuaNewGuinea,itisessentialthatwomenaremeaningfullyengaged inCOVID-19responseandrecoveryefforts. This should include their equal participation andleadershipindecision-making,aswellasplayingakeyrolein the design and implementation of the COVID-19response.Byensuringwomenareabletoeffectivelyandmeaningfullyparticipateinthisprocess,itismorelikelythattheirneedswillbe representedandaddressed. In thisway,COVID-19represents an opportunity to centre the voices andexperiencesofwomen,therebypromotingandsupportinginclusive decision-making and showcasing women’scapacityasleaders.

THEVALUEOFWOMEN’SPOLITICALPARTICIPATIONANDLEADERSHIPThe evidence base demonstrating the positive impact ofwomen’spoliticalleadershipsuggeststhatwomenaremorelikely to address issues that directly impact the broadercommunity, including employment, infrastructure,education, family policy, and social insurance.16 Researchconducted by the National Democratic Institute over thepast35yearshasfoundthatfemalepoliticalleadersappeartoprioritisepolicies and legislation thatpromoteequalityand inclusion, focus on quality of life and contribute tobetter health and education outcomes.17 Additionally,womenaremorelikelythantheirmalecounterpartstoworkacross party lines and respond to the concerns of theirconstituents.18

10UNWomenandUnitedNationsSecretariat(2020).UNSecretary-General’spolicybrief:TheimpactofCOVID-19onwomen.11BeforeendingtheSOE,legislationwasdraftedandpassedtocodifynationalmanagementofpandemics,whichincludesmanyoftherestrictionsthatwereimposedundertheSOE.12FamilySupportCentresprovidecriticalclinicalandpsychosocialsupportservicestosurvivorsoffamilyandsexualviolence.13PNGGBVsub-cluster,UNFPA(June2020).TheStateofGender-BasedViolenceduringtheCOVID-19CrisisandStateofEmergency.PapuaNewGuinea.14Outofatotalof191surveyrespondents,64.9percentidentifiedfoodshortagesasthemainproblemtheyfacedasaresultof‘lockdown’measures.(UNWomenPNGCountryOffice(May2020).COVID-19MarketAssessment.Unpublishedreport.)15PNGGBVsub-cluster,UNFPA(June2020).TheStateofGender-BasedViolenceduringtheCOVID-19CrisisandStateofEmergency.PapuaNewGuinea.16Chattopadhyay,R.andDuflo,E.(2004).WomenasPolicyMakers:EvidencefromaRandomizedPolicyExperimentinIndia.Econometrica72(5),1409–1443;Bratton,K.A.andRay,L.P.(2002)DescriptiveRepresentation:PolicyOutcomesandMunicipalDay-CareCoverageinNorway.AmericanJournalofPoliticalScience,46(2),428–437.17Pepera,S.(February28,2018).Whywomeninpolitics?Accessed13July2020.18Inter-ParliamentaryUnion(2008).EqualityinPolitics:ASurveyofMenandWomeninParliaments.

At the community level, given their frontline roles ascaregivers and health workers, women are uniquelypositioned to participate in health surveillance, earlydetectionandprevention.

WOMEN’SLEADERSHIPINCOVID-19RESPONSEANDRECOVERYResearch shows that engaging women in prevention andcrisis response leads to more effective humanitarianoutcomesandreducedgenderinequalities.19AnanalysisofCOVID-19datafrom35countriesrevealedthatthosewithwomen in leadership positions recorded six times fewerconfirmed COVID-19 deaths than countries withgovernments led bymen.20 Female-led governments alsoappeared tobemoreeffectiveand rapid in flattening thecurve,andprioritisedlong-termsocialwellbeingovershort-termeconomiccosts.Moreover,GDPgrowthforecastsfor2020indicatethatfemale-ledgovernmentswillexperiencea lower decline (less than 5.5 percent) than male-ledgovernments(over7percent).21InPapuaNewGuinea,despitethelackofwomeninpoliticalleadership positions, the National Operations Centre forCOVID-19(NOC-19)responsibleforoverseeingtheCOVID-19responsedemonstratedsomepromisingpractices.Whilst in operation and at its peak, the NOC-19 wascomprisedofapproximately35to45percentwomenwithsome holding more senior roles. Women’s groups andnetworks have also played a role inmobilising to ensureCOVID-19 information reaches their communities. Forexample, the elected women leaders in the Motu KoitaAssemblyhavetakenanactiveroleinconductingCOVID-19awarenessviaradioandintheircommunities.22InBougainville,theMinisterialTaskforceonCOVID-19andtheParliamentaryCommitteeon the Stateof Emergency,each had a single womanMember from the BougainvilleHouseofRepresentatives.However,duetotheissuanceofwritsandthe2020AutonomousBougainvilleGovernmentelections,andtheextensionoftheStateofEmergencyuntil14August,acaretakerGovernmenthassincebeeninstalled.Thismeansthattherearecurrentlynowomenrepresentedin the COVID-19 government response mechanisms.

However,thegender-specificpolicyimplicationsofCOVID-19willberepresentedbyaGenderTeam,andgenderfocalpoints on the 10 additional thematic teams, to the JointAgency Task Force. Each thematic team reports to theControlleroftheStateofEmergency.TheGenderTeamandfocalpointswereestablishedasaresultofaCallforActiondevelopedbytheBougainvilleWomen,PeaceandSecurityWorkingGroup(WPSWG)withtechnicalsupportfromUNWomen.The promising practices on women’s participation in theCOVID-19 response demonstrated by the Government ofPapua New Guinea and the Autonomous BougainvilleGovernmentrepresentavaluableopportunitytocontinuetoempowerwomenasleadersanddecision-makers.Local women’s organisations and networks across PapuaNewGuineaarecriticaltoaneffectivecrisisresponse.Theirability to operate under incredibly challenging conditionswithlimitedresources,recognitionandsupportonlyservestohighlighttheirlocalleadershipandintimateknowledgeofthe needs of their communities. Supporting women’snetworks andwomen leaders to conduct advocacy, carryoutessentialworkandscaleuptheiractivitiesisnecessarytoensuretheCOVID-19responseisinclusiveandmindfuloflocalrealitiesforwomen,andtheirfamilies,acrossPNG.

19UNWomen(2015).TheEffectofGenderEqualityProgrammingonHumanitarianOutcomes.20OpenDemocracy(26May2020).Womeninpower:countrieswithfemaleleaderssuffersixtimesfewerCOVIDdeathsandwillrecoversoonerfromrecession.Accessed14July2020.21Ibid.22TheMotuKoitapeoplearetheIndigenousPeoplesofthelandreferredtoastheNationalCapitalDistrict.Until2007,theirpoliticalgovernancestructurewastheMotuKoitaCouncilestablishedunderasub-sectionoftheNationalCapitalDistrictCommissionAct.TheMotuKoitaAssemblywasformallyestablishedthroughanActofNationalParliamentin2007toprovideforasemi-autonomousgovernmentfortheMotuKoitapeople.

RECOMMENDATIONSInordertoensuretheCOVID-19responseaddressestheneedsofwomenandgirlsinPapuaNewGuinea:

1. Promote women’s full and meaningful participation in

leadership and decision-making related to the COVID-19responseandrecovery,includingtakingstepstoensuregenderbalance and engagement of gender experts and women’sinterestorganizationsinanyrelevanttaskforces,parliamentarycommittees, disaster management teams, and any otherrelevantlocalandnationalgovernmentbodies/institutions.

2. Channel a broad spectrumofwomen’s voices into COVID-19response discussions and decision-making by creatingpathways forwomen’sorganisationsandnetworks,women’srights activists, civil society organisations, national gendermechanisms and academia to provide input and genderexpertise. This can be done in a variety of ways includingthroughdedicated forums and consultations, the creation ofgendersubcommitteestorelevantgovernancebodies,andtheinclusion of civil society women representatives in COVID-19responsediscussions.

3. Involve women leaders from civil society, government andacademiainthedesignofanyemergencylegislation,economicreliefpackagesandbudgets,andthedeliveryoftheCOVID-19response.

4. Ensureemergencylegislation,budgetsandreliefpackagesareevidence-based and developed using gender-disaggregateddata and gender analysis that clearly identifies thegenderedimpactsofCOVID-19.

5. Encouragethemedia,civilsocietyandgovernmenttoshowcasethevoicesandcontributionsofwomen leadersandwomen’sorganisationstoCOVID-19responseandrecoveryefforts.

6. Monitor and evaluate the ongoing gendered implications ofexisting emergency legislation, budgets and relief packages,andtakethenecessarystepstorespondtoanygenderedgapsidentified.

7. Work closely with Local Level Governments, DistrictDevelopmentAuthoritiesandProvincialAssembliestoensureinformationonCOVID-19,includingthegender-specificimpactsof the crisis, is readily available and accessible to womenleaderstosupporttheirfullparticipationinCOVID-19responseefforts at the local level. For example, through targetedawareness raisingcampaignsandoutreachonCOVID-19withlocallevelwomenleaders.

UNWomen/ChristopherKageni