A Grassroots Movement for Peace in Papua New Guinea
Lessons for Implementing the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability
The U.S. government has identified Papua New Guinea as a priority partner country under the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability (SPCPS), with Hela Province being named one of the two provinces designated for support. In Hela, nearly two decades of intergroup conflict has decimated local communities. Today, the province sees some of the highest levels of family and sexual violence in the world outside of war zones, forcing many to flee. However, there is a burgeoning movement of community leaders working to not only understand what’s driving the violence, but to build foundations for peace where outside interventions have failed or are nonexistent.
On June 18, USIP hosted a conversation with John Lewis Peace Fellow James Komengi on grassroots peacebuilding in his home province of Hela and its lessons for U.S. engagement with Papua New Guinea under the SPCPS. The event also featured a screening of a short USIP-commissioned documentary on the topic.
Speakers
Gordon Peake, moderator
Senior Advisor, Pacific Islands, U.S. Institute of Peace
James Komengi
John Lewis Peace Fellow, U.S. Institute of Peace