Port Moresby – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to deliver the most needed assistance to communities displaced by election-related violence that struck the Highlands region in 2022. 

IOM, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, deployed the Displacement Tracking Matrix tool in partnership with local authorities and identified a total of 31,481 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Hela, Southern Highlands, Enga, Western Highlands, Jiwaka and Eastern Highlands provinces.  

The tool shows that election-related violence accounted for 99.18% of the IDPs  and identifies needed assistance including food, shelter, non-food items, as well as safety, security and access to services.  

In response to the situation, IOM has  assisted a total of 14,509 individuals from 2,737 households in Hela, Southern Highlands and Enga provinces with shelter non-food items (SNFIs) and food rations through generous funding from USAID/BHA and the Australian Government.  

The SNFIs included tarpaulins, family tents, blankets and kitchen sets that were distributed to the most vulnerable populations, including persons living with disabilities, women heads of household, elderly people and the most vulnerable internally displaced groups.  

“I really with all my heart thank you for stepping in to provide assistance. I also extend my sincere and heartfelt appreciation to the Government of Australia and USAID for the support that we received. It was a timely assistance that saved the affected population in this community,” said a local community member.  

“We received shelter kits which helped us build makeshift shelters for families, and will use the tools to rebuild our homes upon return to our villages. We also received food items and this assistance was a big relief that sustained us for 3 to 4 months. The food also helped us to keep families in good health while we concentrated on other areas of concern to slowly rebuild our lives,” she added.  

IOM worked in close cooperation with provincial governments, through  provincial disaster centres from the respective provinces, and received support from local partners and churches to provide assistance in selected locations in Enga, Hela and Southern Highlands provinces.  

The Southern Highlands Provincial Disaster and Climate Change Advisor, John Kink, also welcomed the assistance. He acknowledged IOM’s support saying, “On behalf of the Southern Highlands Provincial Administrator, I wish to express my extreme happiness about the way the IOM team has worked in support of people displaced due to election-related violence. You have done extremely well in a situation where the government faced challenges to intervene effectively due to the fighting between factions, and we appreciate our partnership. IOM is an enemy to no one and friends to all in the region.” 

The delivery of supplies and humanitarian assistance continues across the target provinces, with a particular emphasis on hard to access areas. In 2023, IOM will continue to scale up and expand a holistic response to conflict-affected populations' immediate and emerging needs.  

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For further information, please contact IOM Port Moresby, Peter Murorera, Tel: +675 321 3655  Email: pmurorera@iom.int or IOM Mendi, Mate Bagossy, Tel: +675 7316 1525 Email: mbagossy@iom.int