The Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms. Diene Keita, is in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 23 to 24 April 2026.
She will be meeting with women and communities and highlight the country’s efforts to end gender-based violence, strengthen sexual and reproductive health services, and advance the safety, dignity and rights of women and girls, including through a new Supplies Partnership Compact to strengthen access to essential health commodities.
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During the visit, Ms. Keita will meet with Prime Minister James Marape, senior ministers and parliamentarians, religious leaders, development partners, and women and girls accessing services supported by UNFPA.
The visit highlights Papua New Guinea’s policy and financing commitments on gender-based violence and gender equality, alongside practical efforts to improve safety and access to services for women.
“Papua New Guinea is demonstrating the kind of leadership and domestic commitment that the world urgently needs to end gender inequality and violence against women and girls,” said Ms. Keita in a statement released yesterday.
“By placing women’s safety and wellbeing at the center of national action, the country is sending a clear message that dignity, equality and protection are essential foundations for development.”
A key moment of the visit will be the signing of a Supplies Partnership Compact with the Minister for Health, marking a significant national commitment to strengthen access to essential sexual and reproductive health commodities.
The compact will help ensure more reliable availability of contraception, safe delivery supplies and life-saving medicines, so that services are consistent and reach those who need them most.
The visit will also include a stop at Gordons Market and the Family Health Association clinic, where women vendors earn a living, access services and work in safer conditions, highlighting how these efforts come together at community level.
UNFPA supported the development of the National Capital District’s Strategic Action Plan for Women’s Economic Development in Markets and the Informal Sector, which sets out a ten-year roadmap for safer, more inclusive and better-serviced market spaces.
“Markets are where women’s economic rights, health and safety come together,” Ms. Keita said. “When they are safer and services are closer, women can work with confidence, support their families and access care when they need it.”
The visit will also bring together government leaders, faith-based organizations, partners and the private sector to focus on how commitments translate into real services for women and girls, and how progress can be sustained at scale.
UNFPA works in Papua New Guinea to expand access to sexual and reproductive health services, strengthen prevention and response to gender-based violence, and support evidence-based approaches to gender equality and population issues.
Through partnerships with government and communities, it supports stronger systems, more reliable services and greater national capacity to deliver for women and girls.