The Department of Justice and Attorney General (DJAG) and UNDP facilitated two trainings on whistleblower protection this month to help public officials implement the Whistleblower Act 2020, which the Government of Papua New Guinea adopted in 2020 to help protect the rights and safety of persons reporting corruption and other misuses of power within public institutions.
Through interactive sessions hosted by UNDP experts, the trainings equipped the participants with the necessary knowledge and skills for implementing the legislative provisions of the act. In addition, the participants received guidance on establishing and maintaining a secure whistleblowing management system in public institutions, processing reports, and dealing with retaliation complaints.
“Whistleblowing is essential not only for detecting fraud, corruption and misconduct, but also for promoting a culture of accountability and integrity that protects the interests of the public. We look forward to continuing our joint efforts with the Government of Papua New Guinea to create an enabling environment, where whistleblowers feel safe to report corruption and other forms of wrongdoing without fear of retaliation,” UNDP Chief Technical Advisor, Dr. Alma Sedlar said.
Corruption is deeply rooted in the society and it affects the development goals of Papua New Guinea and this trainings were timely.
“Corruption continues to hinder the efforts of Papua New Guinea to achieve its development goals. We are grateful to UNDP for its commitment to building integrity across all Government agencies, not just at the national level, but also at provincial and district levels,” Deputy Secretary of DJAG, Josephine Pitmur said.
The first training was held on the 4th-6th of September and the second training was on 7-8th of September 2023, were organized by UNDP under the PNG Anti-Corruption Project, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP and UNODC. Both trainings were continuation of basic whistleblower protection training, which UNDP and Department of Justice and Attorney General had delivered in October 2022.
