Jane Kesno is from Papua New Guinea (PNG). She is the founder and chair of the PNG Women and Children's Rights Centre and co-founder of the Coalition of Public Sector Women in Leadership (Papua New Guinea). She is a member of the board of the Australian Aid project, Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development. [1]
Jane Kesno comes from the Namatanai District of the New Ireland Province of PNG. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of Papua New Guinea. With an Australian government scholarship, she obtained a master's degree in social planning and development at the University of Queensland. [1] [2]
From 1985 to 2000, Kesno worked in the PNG public service. She was appointed as head of the Women's Division and then, in 1999, director of the Office of Home Affairs (now known as the Department of Community Development). Kesno subsequently joined the "PNG-Australia Law and Justice Sector Program" as a Gender Equity and Social Inclusion specialist. [1]
In 2002, she was the co-ordinator of the women's section of the newly formed PNG People's Labour Party and was active in trying to increase the number of women in parliament. [3] While president of the Namatanai District Council of Women, Kesno was a candidate for the Namatanai District in the 2012 Papua New Guinean general election but failed to be elected. Since that time, she has undertaken a range of community development and research work with NGOs, consulting companies and international agencies. She has been a major supporter of the "PNG National Public Service Male Advocacy Network for Women's Human Rights and the Elimination of all forms of violence against Women and Girls", which aims to train and help men to support women's equality, human rights, and access to justice and support services. [3] [4] [5]
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia. Its capital, located along its southeastern coast, is Port Moresby. The country is the world's third largest island country, with an area of 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi).
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. Papua New Guinea is an independent Commonwealth realm, with the monarch serving as head of state and a governor-general, nominated by the National Parliament, serving as their representative. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament.
The economy of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is largely underdeveloped with the vast majority of the population living below the poverty line. However, according to the Asian Development Bank its GDP is expected to grow 3.4% in 2022 and 4.6% in 2023. It is dominated by the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector and the minerals and energy extraction sector. The agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector accounts for most of the labour force of PNG while the minerals and energy extraction sector, including gold, copper, oil and natural gas is responsible for most of the export earnings.
Dame Carol Anne Kidu, also known as Carol, Lady Kidu, is an Australian-born Papua New Guinean politician.
Sir Arnold Amet is a Papua New Guinean former politician and judge. He was a member of the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea from 2007 to 2012, representing the Madang Provincial seat. He was Minister for Justice and Attorney-General from 2010 to 2011. Prior to entering politics, he was Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea. In February 2021 he was nominated as the Allegiance Party candidate for the seat of Moresby North West District but was unsuccessful in securing the seat. He was awarded Knight Bachelor for service to the judiciary, law and justice in 1993.
The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) is a national police force with jurisdiction throughout all of Papua New Guinea.
Deforestation in Papua New Guinea has been extensive and in recent decades from 2001 to 2020, Papua New Guinea lost 1.57Mha of tree cover, equivalent to a 3.7% decrease in tree cover since 2000, and 1.15Gt of CO₂e emissions.
Corruption is rife in Papua New Guinea (PNG). According to The Economist, "PNG's governments are notorious for corruption, and ever run the risk of turning the state into a fully-fledged kleptocracy".
Investigation Task Force Sweep was established in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on 12 August 2011, following a resolution by the National Executive Council (NEC). The initiative was spearheaded by Prime Minister Peter O'Neill as part of his well-publicised anti-corruption drive.
The Development Policy Centre (Devpol) is an aid and development policy think tank based at the Crawford School of Public Policy in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. Devpol undertakes independent research and promotes practical initiatives to improve the effectiveness of Australian aid, to support the development of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands region, and to contribute to better global development policy.
Meri Toksave is a youth-led, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that designs and delivers programmes and partnerships for the promotion and protection of human rights, the empowerment of women and girls, the advancement of gender equality, and the prevention and elimination of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea.
The Papua New Guinea Greens Party or PNG Greens are a minor political party in Papua New Guinea. Founded in 2001, the party took part in the 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017 general elections, without winning a seat. They are a member of the Global Greens and of the Asia Pacific Greens Federation.
Women's rights in Papua New Guinea are severely restricted due to poverty, violence, limited access to education and health care, and patriarchal cultural practices, especially witch hunts. Cases of violence against women in PNG are under reported, due mainly to gender-based violence being socially legitimized. There is also a lack of services for women who experience violence. There are reports of sexual abuse by police officers, on arrest and whilst in police custody. These incidents lack documentation or investigation, consequently, perpetrators are rarely prosecuted or punished. The government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has introduced legislation to combat these issues, though with limited success.
Sarah Haoda Todd is an entrepreneur, fashion designer and activist from Lae, Papua New Guinea. After starting a cleaning business in 1997, Haoda Todd became a fashion designer, basing her designs on the art, culture, materials, and symbols of Morobe Province and Papua New Guinea. She is also one of the founders of Arise Women, an organization that fights against violence affecting women and children.
Dr. Rona Nibeta Nadile worked for the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations (DLIR) of Papua New Guinea (PNG), with a focus on legal frameworks for managing foreign workers. In 2009 the Westpac Women in Business Awards recognized her contributions with the Cardno Acil Public Sector Award. A few years later, she was dismissed after twice exposing political corruption within the national government.
Elizabeth (Sabet) Cox is an Australian national who has lived and worked in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) for four decades. Together with others, she founded HELP-Resources, an NGO with a focus on rural and grassroots communities, in 1998. She later became Pacific Regional Director of UN Women.
Mary Kini is a human rights and peace activist in Papua New Guinea (PNG). She is a co-founder and the coordinator of Kup Women for Peace, an organization of women dedicated to addressing the problem of tribal fights in the Kup area of PNG.
Susan Setae is a women's rights advocate from Papua New Guinea (PNG). She is the president of the PNG Counselling Association and former president of the National Council of Women.
Freda Talao is a human rights lawyer and development specialist from Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Sarah Garap is a prominent community development worker and human rights activist in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG).