The Indigenous World 2026: Papua New Guinea

Written on 22 April 2026. Posted in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country in Oceania that covers an area of 462,840 km², namely the eastern half of the Island of New Guinea and nearby islands. According to the National Statistics Office, as of 2021, it had a population of approximately 11.78 million across 22 provinces.^[1] Bougainville Island, which geographically forms part of the Solomon Islands but politically and administratively falls under PNG, became a self-governing region in 2004. The Papua New Guinea Indigenous Peoples are the original inhabitants, with distinct culture, histories and identities and a strong connection to the land, which is regarded as the source of life, identity, and spirituality. There are over 840 languages spoken in the country^[2] and PNG is considered the most culturally and linguistically diverse country in the world.

PNG is rich in natural resources such as gold, copper, silver, oil, gas, and timber, which make up the majority of the nation’s economy. Its key international exports include natural gas, gold, copper, palm oil, nickel, crude petroleum, lumber, refined petroleum, fish and coffee.^[3] The nation is facing many challenges, including an estimated 39.9% of the population living below the poverty line.^[4] Further, only an estimated 20.9% of the population has access to electricity.^[5] There are also issues around corruption and environmental degradation,^[6] and violence is a significant problem, in particular gender-based violence.^[7]

Climate change is significantly affecting PNG, impacting its Indigenous population and the country’s development and well-being. The country is facing rising sea levels, coastal and land erosion, saltwater intrusion, coral bleaching, extreme weather events, and health issues, affecting Indigenous communities’ lives, livelihoods, food security, health, and culture. Despite these challenges, PNG continues to contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from deforestation, land-use change, and the energy sector, with land use, land-use change, and forestry accounting for approximately 70% of its emissions. PNG also emits carbon dioxide from the energy sector, mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels for electricity generation, which accounts for 80% of the total installed electricity capacity.^[8]

The Government of PNG was absent from the vote on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in September 2007 and has not taken any action to change this. Furthermore, PNG did not ratify ILO Convention No. 169 (ILO169).

This article is part of the 40^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

In 2025, Papua New Guinea (PNG) reached a critical juncture in balancing its massive extractive potential with the urgent need for environment restoration and human rights protections. Extraction of gold, copper, oil, and gas remains the backbone of the PNG economy but 2025 saw a heightened focus on the negative consequences of these operations.

Indigenous Peoples in Papua New Guinea (PNG) continue to be deeply affected by resource extraction injustice and marginalization and 2025 witnessed the continued routine criminalization of Indigenous Peoples, who are disproportionately affected by ongoing armed conflicts, civil unrest, and disputes, which often places them in opposition to state forces, armed groups and criminal networks. Indigenous Peoples in PNG were not included in international security discussions and decision-making processes, maintaining a gap that perpetuates cycles of violence, undermines sustainable peace efforts and consistently ignores Indigenous knowledge, including intergenerational expertise in conflict resolution, justice, mediation and peacebuilding.^[9] Gender-based violence (GBV) and sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV) remain major challenges in PNG,^[10] and 2025 continued to see violence and harassment against Indigenous women and girls living in villages near mining sites and along the mine corridors.^[11]

Mining developments in 2025

Porgera Gold Mine in Enga Province^[12]

The reopening of the Porgera Gold Mine in 2024-2025 brought old wounds back to the surface. In mid-2025, the Indigenous Ipili people, through the Porgera Landowners Association, responded to the PNG Prime Minister's statement on the resumption of operations at the Porgera Mine by declaring Porgera an ongoing humanitarian crisis. They highlighted the lack of a transparent and participatory resettlement plan for the communities who have suffered more than three decades of displacement and collapsing food security, and demanded that this crisis be solved.^[13]

Bougainville Panguna Copper and Gold Mine

Throughout 2025, the Legacy Impact Assessment (PMLIA) Oversight Committee worked on the findings of a massive independent study that confirmed imminent life-threatening risks from collapsing infrastructure and toxic chemical hazards left behind by Rio Tinto almost four decades ago.^[14]

In September 2025, the PNG National Court dismissed a major class action lawsuit filed by more than 5,000 Bougainvilleans against Rio Tinto, seeking compensation for the negative social and environmental consequences caused by the mining operations.^[15] An appeal was filed with the Supreme Count of PNG, keeping the legal battle for remediation alive.^[16]

OK Tedi Mine

As the mine's life extension continues towards 2025/2026,^[17] the discharge of untreated waste into the Fly River remains a point of contention. While the company (OTML) maintains its operations with a social licence through Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA), environmentalists have pointed to the environmental disaster harmfully affecting thousands of square kilometres of pristine forests.^[18]

PNG Indigenous Peoples' rights and 2025 policy shifts

Indigenous Peoples rights in PNG are increasingly tied to the concept of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), which saw significant legal and policy movement in 2025.

Draft Mining Bill 2025

The Mining Bill 2025, which is to replace the Mining Act 1992,^[19] underwent public consultations in 2025. The Mining Bill reflects Prime Minister James Marape's Take Back PNG vision, which aims to ensure that PNG receives a fairer share of the mining wealth and increasingly shifts Indigenous Peoples and landowners from passive royalty recipients to “equity partners”. This landmark legislation seeks to move PNG towards a “production-sharing” model and aims to ensure that the state and landowners retain ownership of minerals from exploration through to sale, theoretically giving Indigenous Peoples more leverage over how their land is used.^[20]

Land Act Amendments (2025)

New amendments were introduced to curb land grabbing by strengthening the legal weight of customary land titles. These changes mandate that any resource project must have documented FPIC from the specific clans involved, rather than just tribal leaders who might not represent all affected families.^[21]

In 2025, the institutional landscape for Indigenous rights in PNG underwent a major shift. The PNG Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA)^[22] and the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA)^[23] moved from being passive regulators to active, albeit controversial, gatekeepers of Indigenous Peoples' land and resources.

Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA)

In 2025, CCDA became the central player in PNG's attempt to monetize its forests, often putting them at odds with extractive interests.

The Carbon Markets Regulation 2025

The CCDA finalized the Carbon Markets Regulation 2025, which formally transposes Article 6 of the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. For Indigenous Peoples, this means that “carbon rights” are now legally tied to customary land rights. However, a major tension in 2025 was whether mining companies could use these credits to “offset” local destruction –a move Indigenous Peoples have termed greenwashing.^[24]

The Green Fee Initiative

Rolled out in late 2025, this is a PGK50 (approximately USD 11) levy on foreign travellers. The CCDA has pledged that these funds will go directly to community-based climate resilience, specifically for Indigenous Peoples in coastal communities facing rising sea levels.^[25]

Blue Carbon Policy Roadmap:

Launched in August 2025, this CCDA-led Initiative seeks to protect mangroves and seagrasses. Indigenous Coastal clan communities are now being recognized as “custodians” of blue carbon, creating a new legal shield against seabed mining and coastal degradation.^[26]

Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA): Environmental audits and mining accountability

While the CCDA focuses on the future related to climate change, CEPA is currently tasked with addressing the past and tackling PNG’s mining legacy issues.

The Porgera Gold Mine Environmental Audit (December 2025)

In a landmark move, CEPA began a comprehensive, multi-year environmental audit of the Porgera Gold Mine. The Indigenous people successfully lobbied the government to halt final benefit sharing agreements until CEPA's audit could scientifically prove the extent of 30 years of riverine tailings discharge.^[27]

OK Tedi (OTEMA) Gazettal

In June 2025, CEPA officially gazetted the OK Tedi Environmental Act (OTEMA). This transition is critical as it brings Ok Tedi Mine under the stricter Environment Act 2000, giving CEPA more powers to penalize the mine for pollution in the Fly River System.^[28]

The Corporate Plan 2025-2027

CEPA's new strategic plan focuses on regulatory enforcement. For Indigenous Peoples, this means CEPA is now legally mandated to include Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) alongside scientific data in environmental impact assessments (EIAs).^[29]

Ms Cressida Kuala, Founder and CEO of Porgera Red Wara (River) Women's Association Incorporated (PRWWA INC.), Pacific Indigenous Woman Knowledge Holder, and Alternate FWG Member for the Pacific Local Community Indigenous Peoples' Platform, working under the UN Office of Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat.

This article is part of the 40^th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

Notes and references

^[1] National Statistical Office of Papua New Guinea. “Population Estimate.” Accessed 27 December 2024. https://www.nso.gov.pg/statistics/population/

^[2] Data Page: Living Languages. Our World in Data (2024). Data adapted from Summer Institute of Linguistic (SIL) International. Accessed 27 December 2024. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/living-languages

^[3] National Statistical Office of Papua New Guinea. “Economy: Gross Domestic Products.” Accessed 12 January 2024. https://www.nso.gov.pg/statistics/economy/gross-domestic-products/gross-domestic-products-2016-2022/

^[4] World Bank. “Poverty & Equity Brief: Papua New Guinea.” April 2020. https://povertydata.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/PEB_PNG.pdf.

^[5] Human Rights Watch. “World Report 2024: Papua New Guinea,” Human Rights Watch, 13 January 2024. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/papua-new-guinea.

^[6] Doherty, Ben and Lyanne Togiba. 2021. “Mining in the Pacific: a blessing and a curse.” The Guardian, 7 June 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/07/mining-in-the-pacific-a-blessing-and-a-curse

^[7] According to the 2022 Papua New Guinea Human Rights Report of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, “Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: unlawful or arbitrary killings by police; torture and cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by police; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; serious acts of government corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence; trafficking in persons; the criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual conduct between men; and extensive child labor, including the worst forms of child labor.” https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/415610_PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA-2022-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf

^[8] CIA, 2021. ”Papua New Guinea, Energy Sector.” https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/papua-new-guinea

^[9] ACT NOW! And Jubilee Australia Research Centre. “Request for Consideration under the Urgent Action/ Early Warning Procedure to Prevent Irreparable Harm to Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Papua New Guinea 116th Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.” May 2025. Available at: https://www.jubileeaustralia.org/storage/app/media/an-jarcmay2025.pdf

^[10] Weathering Risk. “Climate, Peace and Security Assessment: Papua New Guinea – How climate and environmental change reshape security dynamics.” August 2025. Available at: https://weatheringrisk.org/sites/default/files/document/Papua_New_Guinea_Assessment.pdf

^[11] Business and Human Rights Centre. “Interview: Cressida Kuala, Founder and CEO—Porgera Red Wara (River) Women's Association Incorporated (PRWWA INC), Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.” 2025. Available at: https://www.business-humanrights.org/de/blog/interview-cressida-kuala-founder-and-ceoporgera-red-wara-river-womens-association-incorporated-prwwa-inc-port-moresby-papua-new-guinea/

^[12] Kuala, Cressida. “Papua New Guinea” In the Indigenous World 2023, edited by Dwayne Mamo, pp. 528-534. IWGIA, 2024. https://iwgia.org/en/png/5399-iw-2024-papua-new-guinea.html

^[13] Mining Watch Canada. “Papua New Guinea: Response to Prime Minister’s Statement on Porgera Mine.” 8 July 2025. Available at: https://miningwatch.ca/news/2025/7/8/papua-new-guinea-response-prime-ministers-statement-porgera-mine#:~:text=Resettlement%20remains%20the%20most%20urgent,collapsing,%20and%20malnutrition%20is%20rising; See also: OHCHR. “Submission to the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights: Porgera Red Wara (River) Women’s Association Incorporated (PRWWA INC.).” 17 October 2025. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/culturalrights/cfis/nature-conservation/subm-nature-conservation-cso-86-porger-river-inc.docx

^[14] Bougainville News. “Bougainville News alert: Rio Tinto urged to accelerate action on remediation of Panguna mine disaster, one year from investigation.” 5 December 2025. Available at: https://bougainvillenews.com/2025/12/#:~:text=Bougainville%20News%20Alerts%20:Rio%20Tinto,on%20Business%20and%20Human%20Rights; See also: Rio Tinto. “Update on the Panguna Mine.” 2025. Available at: https://www.riotinto.com/en/news/trending-topics/panguna-mine#:~:text=2025%20progress.%20The%20Panguna%20Mine%20Legacy%20Impact,step%20forward%20in%20building%20understanding%20of%20the

^[15] Discovery Alert. ”PNG court dismisses Panguna Mine class action against Rio Tinto.” 30 September 2025. Available at: https://discoveryalert.com.au/panguna-mine-class-action-dismissal-2025/

^[16] Panguna Mine Action. “The Panguna Mine Action.” N.d. Available at: https://www.pangunamineaction.com/

^[17] Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council. “Prime minister Marape commends OK Tedi for extending mine life to 2084 and strengthening national economic security.” 23 January 2026. Available at: https://www.pmnec.gov.pg/prime-minister-marape-commends-ok-tedi-for-extending-mine-life-to-2084-and-strengthening-national-economic-security/

^[18] OK Tedi Fly River Development Foundation. “About.” N.d. Available at: https://oktediflyriver.com/

^[19] Independent State of Papua New Guinea. “Mining Act 1992 and Regulation.” 1992. Available at: https://mra.gov.pg/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2.MINING_ACT-1992.pdf

^[20] Erehe, Roselyn. “Public consultation on Mining Bill 2025 launched.” 4 March 2025. Available at: https://www.pngbusinessnews.com/articles/2025/3/public-consultation-on-mining-bill-2025-launched

^[21] Erehe, Roselyn. “PNG moves to align customary land reform with human rights standards.” 26 January 2026. Available at: https://www.pngbusinessnews.com/articles/2026/1/png-moves-to-align-customary-land-reform-with-human-rights-standards

^[22] National Trade Portal. “Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA).” 2025. Available at: https://facilitation.nto.gov.pg/ccda/

^[23] Papua New Guinea Environment Data Portal. “PNG Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).” 17 July 2025. Available at: https://png-data.sprep.org/dataset/cepa-corporate-plan-2025-2027#:~:text=The%20Conservation%20and%20Environment%20Protection%20Authority%20(CEPA),national%20environmental%20policies%20and%20global%20environmental%20goals**

^[24] Lang, Chris. ”Papua New Guinea has lifted its moratorium on REDD voluntary carbon market projects.” 18 April 2025. Available at: https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/papua-new-guinea-has-lifted-its-moratorium

^[25] PNG Facts. ”PNG introduces climate-focused departure fee for foreign travelers.” 8 June 2025. Available at: https://www.pngfacts.com/news/png-introduces-climate-focused-departure-fee-for-foreign-travelers#google_vignette

^[26] GIZ. “PNG nears finalization of blue carbon policy roadmap.” 11 September 2025. Available at: https://www.giz.de/en/regions/asia/philippines/news/png-nears-finalisation-blue-carbon-policy-roadmap

^[27] The National. ”CEPA to lead environmental audit of Porgera Mine.” 18 April 2025. Available at: https://www.thenational.com.pg/cepa-to-lead-environmental-audit-of-porgera-mine/

^[28] Galvez, James. “OK Tedi receives OTEMA Gazettal notice from CEPA.” 12 June 2025. Available at: https://www.pngbusinessnews.com/articles/2025/6/ok-tedi-receives-otema-gazettal-notice-from-cepa

^[29] Papua New Guinea Environment Data Portal. “PNG Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).” 17 July 2025. Available at: https://png-data.sprep.org/dataset/cepa-corporate-plan-2025-2027#:~:text=The%20Conservation%20and%20Environment%20Protection%20Authority%20(CEPA),national%20environmental%20policies%20and%20global%20environmental%20goals**

Tags: Global governance