Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea hosts some 11,800 asylum seekers and refugees. Around 100 people were transferred there under PNG’s former regional processing arrangement with Australia, most from Indonesia.

UNHCR supports PNG in developing national refugee legislation and policy through technical advice and capacity-building activities, with a particular focus on promoting access to asylum procedures, implementing protection-sensitive entry systems, and maintaining the civilian character of asylum and access to naturalisation. UNHCR also works closely with PNG on its refugee emergency contingency plan and response to asylum seeker/refugee arrivals in the two border provinces. This includes collaborating with partners on activities that support local integration and self-sufficiency.

UNHCR also monitors the situation of Australia’s offshore refugees and asylum-seekers in PNG.