Jayapura, Indonesia, December 11th, 2018 –  United Nations for Development Programme (UNDP) and Indonesia’s government, through the district government of Jayapura , on Tuesday launched a pilot project to curb gender-based violence in Papua province.

The Planning and Paying for Local Action Plans to Address Gender-Based Violence in Papua Project is a multi-year initiative that runs from 2018 – 2020.  It aims to combat violence and discrimination against women and girls in Indonesia’s Papua province. Among its expected outcome is an action plan to end violence and discrimination there.

“Gender equality is a matter of human rights and gender based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violation. UNDP is pleased to support the Papuan government in championing gender violence prevention as one of the priority agendas in district and provincial level planning and funding. We will also support the community and local government in making action plans for eliminating gender-based violence,” said Siprianus Bate Soro, Head of Democratic Governance and Poverty Reduction Unit of UNDP Indonesia.

The launching of the Project coincides with the end of the #16daysofActivism, an international campaign that aims to rgalvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. This Project is part of UNDP’s global initiative called Ending Gender-Based Violence and Achieving the SDGs that are already in place in other countries such as Bhutan, Lebanon and Peru.

A UNDP survey into violence against women in Papua, Indonesia reveals 38% of ever-partnered women have experienced at least one of four types of violence in their lifetime^[1]. 16 % have experienced one of these types of violence in the last year

At the end of the Project, the findings are expected be presented to the Provincial and National Government to ensure inclusion of gender-based violence prevention policies in the five-year action plan for development planning 2020-2025 and accounted for in the regional income and expenditure budget (APBD).

In Indonesia other key partners for the Project include the Ministry of Development Planning and Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, responsible for driving forward provincial action plans and priorities.

Media contacts
UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto, Suryo.tomi@undp.org

[1] http://www.id.undp.org/content/indonesia/en/home/presscenter/articles/2016/10/06/undp-collaborates-on-first-global-standard-compliant-study-on-gender-based-violence-in-papua.html