Minister for Labour and Employment Hon. Kessy Sawang, Australian High Commission Minister Counsellor Dr Cate Rogers, and Director Martin Wandera of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Pacific Island Countries launched the Improving Labour Governance in Papua New Guinea program on 16 July 2025.
Funded by the Australian Government, the three-year program will support the Government of PNG to build a stronger and more inclusive labour governance system to support decent work and economic prosperity for all Papua New Guineans.
"This project will play a critical role in supporting the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations. It will contribute to strengthening labour governance and institutional capacity, improving labour legislation and expanding access to legal protection for all workers," said Minister Kessy Sawang.
“This partnership will undoubtably strengthen and add value to the labour ministry to deliver its key priorities”.
The ILO will provide technical and capacity building support to PNG’s Department of Labour and Industrial Relations to review and address gaps in PNG’s labour frameworks and strengthen labour administration.
ILO’s support will include enhancing the availability and use of labour market data to inform sound policy making, and also foster stronger collaboration between the government, employers and workers.
"This program will support the Government of PNG to strengthen its legal and regulatory labour frameworks which are essential to building resilient labour markets,” Dr Cate Rogers said.
“This will create jobs and drive inclusive economic growth for all Papua New Guineans. This work will be bolstered by improved data collection and meaningful dialogue between government, employers, and workers.”
At the launch, Mr Martin Wandera said that the launch marks an important milestone in the collective mission to advance the shared vision of achieving decent work and social justice. He said the ILO is proud to be part of this partnership and looks forward to supporting its success.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100
From left to right - Mr Martin Wandera, ILO Office Director for Pacific Island Countries; Dr Cate Rogers, Minister Counsellor; and Hon. Kessy Sawang MP, Minister for Labour and Employment, launching the DFAT-ILO-DLIR partnership.