UN Assistance to COVID-19 Preparedness and Response in Papua New Guinea

The various organizations of the United Nations in Papua New Guinea have been supporting national efforts to prepare and respond to a COVID-19 outbreak, including through technical and capacity building support to the National Department of Health and other government bodies, and the delivery of essential health supplies to bolster national and provincial response capacities.

COVID Situation in Papua New Guinea

As of April 20, Papua New Guinea has recorded seven confirmed cases of COVID-19. The first case was reported on 20 March. A man who had travelled from Europe, through Singapore and Port Moresby, tested positive in Lae before being repatriated to Australia. The second case is a 40-year-old female from the East New Britain Province who developed cough on 23 March and was admitted to the Nonga Hospital isolation ward on March 28 where she was treated for severe respiratory illness. This illness was confirmed as COVID-19 on 6 April and the woman has since tested negative. 

On April 16, a further five persons were confirmed to have COVID-19, including a man from East New Britain, three persons from Western Province who had returned from across the border in Indonesia, and one woman in Port Moresby, National Capital District.

Following the announcement of the first case, the government announced a ban on foreigners entering Papua New Guinea and on 23 March the Governor-General Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae declared a 14-day State of Emergency to allow for contact tracing. Commissioner of Police, David Manning, was appointed Controller of the State of Emergency and a National Emergency Operations Centre was established. On 3 April, the State of Emergency was extended for 2 months. 

A Coordinated Response

The UN COVID-19 response has been made possible through the contribution of FAO, IOM, OHCHR, UN Women, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNDSS, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNOPS, UN Volunteers, WFP, WHO and the Resident Coordinator's Office. 

To support the Government’s preparedness and response plan, UN agencies have secured funding from Australia, India, Japan,  New Zealand, United States and World Bank. The UN is also engaging with donors to re-programme funding where relevant, as for example with resources available through the Spotlight Initiative to invest into work that will ensure safety for women and girls that are affected by gender-based violence.

“Nothing of what the UN is doing to support PNG would be possible without international solidarity. I would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank the Governments of Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, United States, the European Union and the World Bank, for the indispensable financial support provided” - Gianluca Rampolla, UN Resident Coordinator

To read the full originally published article on UN Papua New Guinea's website, click here.