This review focuses on CARE International’s program portfolio in Papua New Guinea (PNG) over the past five years (2013-2018). CARE’s goal in PNG is to achieve significant, positive and lasting impact on poverty and social injustice in remote, marginalised rural areas through the empowerment of women and their communities and through effective partnerships. CARE has worked in PNG since 1989 and now has offices in Goroka in Eastern Highlands Province, Mt Hagen in Western Highlands Province, Buka in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) and an office in Port Moresby.

Over the past five years, CARE’s program in PNG has worked in multiple areas: sexual, reproductive and maternal health, community health promotion, awareness and behaviour change; inclusive governance; women’s economic empowerment; climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction; and emergency response. These programs have been implemented in PNG’s particularly challenging operating environment.

Two underlying elements in CARE’s programs in PNG have been an emphasis on promoting gender equality and supporting inclusive governance. This review thus focused closely on CARE’s gender and governance approaches: what impacts were seen, what lessons learned, and what promising approaches are emerging to inform better programming by CARE and other players. [108 pages]