Development partners, civil society organizations (CSOs), and donor agencies have highly praised provincial representatives at the Second Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Plenary for directly presenting their own operational priorities, hailing the shift as a powerful milestone for local government ownership.

Speaking at the plenary in Port Moresby, Ayesha Lutchini, Team Lead for PNG Women Lead (PNGWL) under the PNG-Aus Partnership, stated that the targeted provincial presentations marked a profound evolution in how national efforts to combat gender-based violence is directed.

“Today is a significant demonstration of government ownership of gender-based violence,” Lutchini remarked, reflecting on the strategies presented by the various provincial teams.

She noted that a decade ago, a similar plenary would have looked vastly different, with international development partners taking the lead to dictate action plans. This year, the dynamic completely shifted: provincial representatives took the podium to lay out their localized priorities directly to donor partners, specifying exactly where support is needed to advance their goals.

“That is government ownership in action,” Lutchini said, congratulating the provincial delegates and urging them to take pride in their proactive institutional leadership.

Lutchini reaffirmed that PNGWL and its allied partners stand firmly behind the Government of Papua New Guinea in driving these legislative and social reforms. Her remarks underscored a vital principle for sustainable development: provinces must set their own agendas for GBV responses, while external partners align funding and technical support to match those locally defined priorities.

The plenary presentations signal a major institutional shift toward locally led, bottom-up action—where government representatives identify the unique issues affecting their immediate communities and aggressively seek targeted collaborations to make measurable progress.