Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea's standing national mechanism for implementation, reporting and follow-up (NMIRF) has recently been established through policy mandate. and is under development. It is coordinated by the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). It is supported by a Technical Working Committee and engages with UN human rights mechanisms to fulfill reporting and implementation obligations.

INSTITUTIONAL SETUP

The national mechanism for implementation, reporting, and follow-up (NMIRF) in Papua New Guinea is composed of several key entities, with political oversight provided by the National Executive Council and senior-level coordination by the Social and Law Order Sector. The mechanism is steered by the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), with the DJAG Human Rights Secretariat serving as its secretariat.

Secretariat The Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG), through the Human Rights Secretariat, serves as the primary coordinating agency for the operations of the NMIRF. It resources and oversees the work of the Secretariat, which is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the NMIRF. DJAG also ensures systematic data collection, tracking, and follow-up on human rights recommendations through the National Recommendations Tracking Database (NRTD), and plays a key role in organizing capacity-building initiatives for government agencies.

Methods of work The NMIRF involves several key ministries and state entities in its operations and the preparation of reports to human rights mechanisms. These include the Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG), which serves as the NMIRF Secretariat through its Human Rights Secretariat, and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which co-chairs the Technical Working Committee (TWC) Subcommittee on NMIRF. Other participating entities include representatives (focal points) from the Department for Community Development and Religion (DFCDR) as the lead agency on CRC, CEDAW and CRPD, contributing agencies comprises of the National Youth Development Authority (NYDA), Office of the State Solicitor, and the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, among others. Observer institutions include the Ombudsman Commission and, in the future, the National Human Rights Commission. Technical support is provided by OHCHR and other UN agencies as relevant to thematic areas. These focal points form part of the TWC Subcommittee, which acts as the NMIRF’s technical working group. The formal appointing process for focal points will be detailed in the Terms of Reference (TOR) that is currently being developed. Currently the focal points are consistently involved across in all UN mechanisms such as treaty bodies, the UPR, and Special Procedures.

Observer institutions include the Ombudsman Commission and, in the future, the National Human Rights Commission. Technical support is provided by OHCHR and other UN agencies as relevant to thematic areas.

The NMIRF is not yet formally named and is still under development, with Terms of Reference in progress. Focal Points are appointed through a process to be detailed in the forthcoming Terms of Reference.

• CRPD Focal points (Article 33(1) of CRPD)
• Gender Equality Mechanisms

No institutional knowledge system has yet been put in place.

MANDATE

The NMIRF is mandated to coordinate the implementation, reporting, and follow-up of the country’s human rights obligations. It engages comprehensively with all United Nations human rights mechanisms, including Treaty Bodies, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. The NMIRF facilitates systematic data collection, report drafting, legal clearance, and submission of national reports to these mechanisms.

It aims to enhance institutional coordination among government agencies, eliminate the backlog of overdue treaty reports, and ensure timely and systematic follow-up on recommendations from international human rights mechanisms.

The NMIRF also supports capacity-building, facilitates inter-agency data sharing, and strengthens accountability and transparency in human rights implementation through monitoring, evaluation, and stakeholder engagement mechanisms.

The NMIRF engages with:

UN Treaty Bodies Universal Periodic Review UN Special Procedures It does not currently engage with regional mechanisms.

Process followed by the Government/NMIRF to prepare reports The treaty reporting process begins with the establishment of a Government Task Force Committee (GTFC) through an NEC Decision, which outlines its Terms of Reference, work plan, and budget. This committee, supported by Thematic Cluster Working Groups (TCWGs) and a Core Report Writing Group (CRWG), oversees the drafting process. The TCWGs collect data and conduct consultations, while the CRWG compiles and drafts the State Party Report. The process includes training for GTFC members, a desk review based on previous recommendations, and broad consultations at regional and national levels. Following these, a national stakeholder validation workshop is held to finalize the draft. The report is then reviewed for legal clearance and vetted by the Government’s Social Law and Order Committee before submission to the National Executive Council for endorsement. Once approved, the report is submitted to the relevant UN Committee with the support of the implementing agency, DFA, and OHCHR.

COORDINATION

Meetings are not yet regular as they pending finalization of TOR.

Report Preparation: Government Task Force Committee (GTFC) established via NEC Decision Supported by Thematic Cluster Working Groups (TCWGs) and Core Report Writing Group (CRWG) Includes training, desk reviews, consultations, validation workshops Reports cleared by Social Law and Order Committee and endorsed by NEC Internal Guidelines: ☒ No

Linkages to the implementation of the 2030 agenda The Voluntary National Review (VNR) was already undergoing validation when the National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRF) was in its initial stages of establishment. However, the Department of National Planning, which is the sole coordinating agency for the VNR, is also a member of the NMIRF.

Channel of communication with National Statistics Office Papua New Guinea’s National Statistical Office (NSO), as a member of the NMIRF, is supporting the reporting process for the country’s initial State report under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), serving as the primary source of national data.

Channel of communication with the Parliament There is currently no direct channel of communication with Parliament.

Channel of communication with the Judiciary For all legal cases regarding the Human Rights issues, State Solicitor and Public Solicitor address them may it be for or against the State.

CONSULTATION

No formal consultations with civil society is being organized yet.

Internal coordination remains a challenge.

Information Management Tools: Emails, desk reviews, SDG tracker (DNPM)

Standard Operating Procedures: ☒ No – DNPM is sole user of SDG tracker

Action Plans: Not yet finalized

Department of Foreign Affairs (as submitting entity)