GHD leads women in mining

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10 August 2009

The Papua New Guinea Chamber of Mines and Petroleum has signed a contract with international professional services company GHD to deliver institutional capacity building training for women in selected mining and petroleum communities.

The project is funded by the Japan Social Development Fund through the auspices of the World Bank and is the flagship of the Chamber’s Women in Mining and Petroleum program.

In a bid to address the unequal participation of women in mining and petroleum areas the Chamber has undertaken a number of projects aimed at supporting an enhanced and a more active role for women in these affected communities.

When signing the contract Chamber Executive Director Greg Anderson said: “We are looking forward to the rollout of this work; it has been a long time on the drawing board and so we are very pleased to see it ready to be implemented.”

The project will be managed and implemented by GHD’s PNG office and will cover 10 selected sites using two teams of trainers operating over a six month period.

GHD PNG Manager Peter Aitsi said: "GHD looks forward to working with the Chamber and the various project partners to bring a fresh approach to engaging with women’s groups in the target areas. Our PNG-led team will work closely with the communities including representatives from the operators to tailor a training program aimed at meeting local requirements and objectives. This approach will be further supported by a sustainability plan that includes follow up support for the participants to ensure the acquired knowledge is put in to practice and retained."

The project is a response to a study undertaken by the Chamber from 2005 to 2006, assessing the capacity of women’s groups and associations in mining and petroleum impacted areas.

GHD opened its PNG office in April 2009. The PNG team has undertaken work for NZ Aid and supported other GHD offices in the areas of forestry, environment, engineering and community development.

For further information, contact:

Sonia Adams

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