Assistance for IDPs and Host Communities Affected by the Election-Related Violence in Hela, Southern Highland,

General

The 2022 Papua New Guinea (PNG) General Election process has triggered unprecedented violence across many parts of the country, especially in the highland regions. The violence started in May and continued through August 2022, with July as the worse month from the spatial coverage and number of the affected population. While in most areas the violence is directly related to the election, in some places, it has resurfaced from long-standing issues, including land disputes, retribution, and unsettled disputes between clans, who are using the instability around elections to re-ignite fights. To address critical needs, a multisectoral humanitarian response is required in five districts. IOM's operational objective is to scale up and expand a holistic emergency response to the immediate and emerging needs of conflict-affected populations. Building directly on its existing field presence and portfolio, IOM is responding to the immediate humanitarian needs by providing emergency assistance using a multisectoral and people-centred approach focusing on shelter/non-food items, camp coordination and camp management, and food security, with protection mainstreamed.