Social development practices in Papua
New Guinea (PNG) with sustainable development goals (SDG’s) play a vital role
in fostering innovative changes in the country and in cities such as Port
Moresby. Cities attract rapid urbanization which bring along issues that impede
development, if they are not identified and dealt with in a systematic and
holistic way, chaos would step in the place of order and destruction would
follow suit in communities. Therefore, creating
a road map to follow into the future will help to forecast and mitigate problems
that can be avoided or resolved easily today. The United Nations (UN) have identified
SDG’s which are like clear road maps to be followed in order to usher in a
brighter future for countries, and create settlements which are inclusive,
resilient, and sustainable to cater for the growing needs of its inhabitants. As
specified by SDG11, cities play a pivotal role in the sustainable development
of a country. Therefore, “the battle for sustainable development will be won or
lost in our cities” (United Cities and Local Governments, 2016). So why are
cities important?
Cities like Port Moresby cater for the
density and networks that make us more creative and productive; they are also
the key social and economic organizing units of our time: bringing together
people, jobs, and all the other economic inputs needed for economic growth. A
city like Port Moresby attracts rapid urbanization,” Close to 95% of urban
expansion in the coming decades will take place in the developing world” (Dr.
Nagpal 2019). Rapid urbanization as seen in Port Moresby without proper
planning and lack of control measures leads to overcrowding , increase in crime
rates, shortage of adequate housing, increased demand pressure on its fresh
water supplies in settlements like Morata and Vadavada, where there is no
steady flow of water because of water rationing by authorities like Eda Ranu. Also
sewage leakages are widespread in the suburbs including old and new
settlements, due to decline in old underground sewer infrastructures causing the
living environment to be hazardous to live and move around in. As well as
overwhelming demand in public health services which are running out of drugs and
health equipment’s every day.
Implementing SDG11 will prove to be
challenging in the context of PNG and especially in the city of Port Moresby.
Port Moresby is where people from all over PNG with differing cultural,
language, and social background co-exist and yet sometimes cannot co-exist due
to their differences which may arise by default out of competition to find a
better way in life whether it be in education, employment, or business in order
to live a resilient life in a not so conducive society which turn normal people
into monetary and materialistic slaves. It can be seen in new settlements such
as Vadavada, Garden Hills, Morata, and others in Port Moresby that people are
just settling any how without proper planning in patches of lands which are
fast turning into overcrowded slums. There may be economic growth but social growth
will remain stagnant, the development is moving at a rapid rate, most people in
the society cannot cope with such a speed in development because the national consciousness is not synchronized
to adapt to it a phase at a time. One of the major factors to be blamed is the
massive influence that globalization is exerting over the country, which have
somewhat altered traditional Melanesian ideologies and introducing western
ideologies that cause PNG citizens to chase after a materialistic life to find
fulfillment.
“Like any tidal wave, the West came
mercilessly, with all the force and power, toppling over our earth, destroying
our treasures, depositing some rich soil, but also leaving behind much rubbish”
(Narokobi 1983, p. 4). Basically, development has both positive and negative
impacts. Development also seems to be focused in urban areas because the government
seems to spend much on economically active areas, where there is flow of money
which is a major pull factor in rapid rural to urban migration. In order to
pull the plug of the overflowing populace flocking into the city, “social
services and wealth generated from mining industries such as LNG should be
planned and equally distributed across the country” (Bobeng 2015). This will
minimize the influx of non-working class people and or students from all over
PNG flocking into Port Moresby in search of an easy way out in life, and then
turn to criminal activities to make ends meet.
So how can we create a city like Port
Moresby or one of its communities to be sustainable, inclusive, safe, and
resilient in the midst of many issues mentioned as well as obvious turmoil’s
such as ethnic clashes which are happening quite frequently in many communities
in Port Moresby year in – year out? In order to address the negative issues
that arises out of rapid urbanization, SDG11 stakeholders such as urban
planners, architects, property developers, construction industry, all levels of
government, and the citizens in both rural and urban communities must come
together to contribute constructively in social development processes.
Implementers of the SDG11 must take in information and ideas from all
stakeholders in order to give them a broader perspective to plan effectively
steps that are needed to be taken, in order to mitigate social issues that
arise out of rapid social and economic development. Dilemmas such as rural
urban migration in search of better living in PNG must be systematically
approached with government programs and incentives to those who live in rural
areas so as to reduce the pull factor of cities and or rural urban drift.
Proper settlement planning, and land allocation
must be implemented in such a way that will provide adequate space for living
and moving around, for recreational parks, churches, and stores which will
prevent overcrowding, so as to progress on to become urban suburbs instead of
slums in Port Moresby. Customary landowners must consult lands and physical
planning department before venturing out to sell lands to settlers, so that the
government will merge its plans with the landowners to create a well planned
community thus creating sustainable inclusive communities. This will be helpful to the government in
terms of service delivery because they would know where and when to extend
services such as electricity, water supply, placing of sewage systems or
allocation of transport routes to cater for the new and growing community needs.
Furthermore, consistent advocacy and
awareness on issues such as gender based violence must continue at all times
beginning from individual family units. An effective program called “Safe
Public Transport for Woman and Children” has been set up by UN Woman in PNG,
beginning in Port Moresby to help transport woman and girls only around the
city of Port Moresby, due to increasing violence against woman in public
transports. An excerpt by UN Woman recounts of a feedback from a woman who
desired to live in a society that is safe and free of violence against woman
and children, she experienced at first-hand how different situations could be since
she started taking the “Meri Safe Bus” (UN Woman 2016). There also remains the
need to replace old infrastructures such as sewage pipes, which may be too
small to hold tons of human wastes that have increased over the years , the
evidence of sewage leakage can be seen almost everywhere in the city.
A city cannot grow or thrive without
proper sanitation. Most times during heavy rainfall, sewages overflow and leak
out into storm drainages, onto roads, footpaths and even into homes. Proper
planning and budgeting to address this issue should be a paramount discussion
in the halls of city authorities. There remains a dire need for structural
reconstructions to replace old sewage pipe systems in Port Moresby with new
ones or simply building new sewage systems that have the capacity to cater for
the growing population even into the future. This is pivotal in ensuring a
clean and resilient city devoid of sicknesses to its ever increasing populace. When
the city is clean and hygienic, the pressure on health services will decrease;
saving the government money to spend elsewhere in the city such as the
construction of new sewage systems, funding of NGO’s that cater to its citizens
social development needs and or in its own programs such as the implementation
of SDG11 goals in order to render Port Moresby to its citizens and even to the
world as a city that has proudly achieved the goal it has set out to achieve.
In conclusion, Development is a complex
phenomenon but aims to consistently improve people's living standards.
Migration is an outcome of multi-factorial or capitalist forces which constitute
all the political, social and economic day to day realities. The usefulness of SDG11
in the city of Port Moresby, as with any other SDG’s, depends on the innovation
and imagination of its planners and implementers. It is imperative, though,
that the implementation of SDG’s into a society is carefully planned. The
current explosion in population growth makes it essential that SDG 11 be used
extensively, consistently in a systematic way, and holistically in Port Moresby
so stakeholders will know how to appropriately and effectively achieve the goal
by 2030. The government and SDG governing bodies like the UN must ensure that
all citizens have a clear idea about its implementation plans and strategies on
where they want their citizens to participate in-in order to achieve SDG 11.
The appropriate incorporation of SDG 11 into city schools as well will broaden
the minds and skills of students or young men and woman, allowing them to be
better prepared to tackle further problems in the near future, thus bringing
the synchronicity of the national consciousness closer in mutual understanding
for the common good of all. Finally, Stakeholders must be fully informed about
what kinds of resources are available and whether or not they are in line with
pre planned objectives that pave the way towards achieving a resilient,
sustainable, and inclusive city or settlements.
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