By Eric Haurupma – EM TV, Port Moresby
National Planning and Monitoring Minister, Charles Abel, launched the National Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Policy 2015 – 2030 today in Port Moresby.
The WASH policy is in line with the vision 2050, PNG’sustainable Development Plan and our country’s National Goals and Directive Principles.
This policy focusses on service delivery of good drinking water, sanitation and the long term hygiene or behavior that is able to bring change to Papua New Guineans.
A task force was established to initiate this policy including government agencies like, Health Department, Water PNG, DNPM, IPBC and Eda Ranu with support from other developing agencies, to find mechanism to coordinate this policy.
Policies like WASH, National Population, and National ID is an integral part of bringing human development to the fore and recognizing the rights of every PNG citizen.
National Planning and Monitoring Minister Charles Abel, Government Partners like the Health Department, Water PNG, IPBC, and Developing Agencies like the World Bank and European Union were present at the National Water Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) policy launching ceremony.
In terms of executing the WASH policy he viewed this important to facilitate in some mandated intervention down at the very service delivery points.
PNG falls short of meeting universal development goals, its rating amongst 50 HDI countries. It is 40% far below most of the Asia Pacific Countries in terms of good water and sanitation.
This policy is an important building block for the future of PNG to coordinate a systematic approach to addressing water, sanitation and hygiene
One hundred and eighty million has been funded by European Union to implement the WASH policy right to the village level.
Meanwhile, National Planning and Monitoring Department is intending to create a unit to set-up a statutory authority that will resource this policy through the department while stakeholders will be invited to formulate an action plan.
Eric Haurupma is a UPNG Journalism Student
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