Rapid Assessment of Institutional Readiness to Deliver Gender-Based Violence and HIV Services in Five Provinces of Papua New Guinea

HIV and gender-based violence (GBV) remain major challenges to the development of Papua New Guinea (PNG). With the national HIV prevalence rate still hovering at about 1 per cent, and reported cases of GBV on the increase, stepping up services delivery is critical in response to these two major issues.

Given the close linkage between HIV infection and gender-based violence, the National AIDS Council Secretariat, as the mandated coordinating body for the HIV response in PNG and with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), instituted this study to assess the readiness of service providers to deliver HIV and GBV services. This assessment is also a follow-up to a 2010 snapshot assessment on progress made in PNG towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals 3 (promote gender equality and empower women) and 6 (combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other dieseases), with specific focus on the readiness of services across the HIV/health, justice, and social sectors from five selected provinces.