Advocacy efforts for the MDGs directed to young people

Papua New Guinea has made good progress since the 2000 Millennium Declaration. In collaboration with the United Nations, the Government produced its first National Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Progress Report in 2004, and recently launched a National MDG Road Map and announced its 15 national MDG targets and 67 indicators.

In August 2006 the government endorsed an MDG Coordination and Implementation Project and established a National MDG Steering Committee and MDG Core Working Group. Two meetings of the Steering Committee have since been convened to guide the implementation of the Road Map. Two more National Steering Committees have since been set up.

Availability of the requisite data to prepare an accurate, statistical baseline report remains an obstacle. Accordingly, the Government has adopted DevInfo (the UN database system). The results of an ongoing 2006 Demographic and Health Survey will be added to the current data. Other measurements to round out the data include a household income expenditure survey and the results of the population census, to be conducted in 2010.

Following a successful participation in a regional Youth Summit in the Asia Pacific region, the Department of Community Development in Papua New Guinea requested UN assistance to convene a national Youth Summit on the MDGs. The Summit, held in September 2006, addressed the specific social issues affecting youth in Papua New Guinea, highlighting the dangers of risky sexual behaviours, and underscored the importance of achieving the MDGs by 2015. Two girls and two boys from each of Papua New Guinea’s 20 provinces participated in the Summit, and a Youth Declaration was issued at its close.

Last updated 1 November 2007