IPP669
   PAPUA NEW GUINEA: ADDITIONAL FINANCING, ROADS MAINTENANCE AND
                  REHABILITATION PROJECT, PHASE 2

          COMPLIANCE WITH WORLD BANK OPERATIONAL POLICY 4.10 ON
                           INDIGENOUS PEOPLES


As was the case for the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Project, Phase 2 (RMRP II), the
proposed Additional Financing (AF) operation will trigger the World Bank’s Operational Policy
(OP) 4.10 on Indigenous Peoples (IP). With the exception of Year 1, where project activities
will take place in Milne Bay, the final locations of sub-project areas will only be known during
implementation.

A stand-alone Indigenous Peoples Plan (IPP) will not be prepared for the project as the majority
of communities that will benefit from the sub-projects will consist of indigenous peoples.
Instead, issues relevant for preserving the interests and livelihoods of the indigenous population,
as well as for maintaining its cultural and socioeconomic traditions, will be integrated within the
project design and implementation phases.

The arrangements that were put in place to address IP issues under RMRP II will also be pursued
for the AF. The project provides the opportunity to protect and enhance the interests of IPs
through the following measures:

       Screening of Projects and Disclosure. The integration of concerns and practices of
       indigenous peoples recognizes the need for free, prior, and informed consultations to
       ensure meaningful participation by indigenous peoples during the preparation of each
       sub-project. The consultation process seeks to identify concerns by the community in
       relation to each sub-project and to identify appropriate mitigation measures. It also aims
       to present activities related to each sub-project and the economic opportunities that may
       be derived as a result of the implementation or outcome of each sub-project. IPPs will be
       provided with relevant project information and documents in language(s) and manner
       suitable to them, primarily English and Tok Pisin, the main local language.

       Social Assessment. Relevant information on demographic characteristics of affected IP
       communities, such as social, cultural and economic will be gathered during sub-project
       preparation. Information about the land and territories that they have traditionally owned
       or customarily used or occupied and the natural resources on which they depend will also
       be recorded. This information will be gathered through community groups meetings in
       the provinces targeted by each sub-project.

       Under RMRP, consultations took place in seven sites along the Hiritano Highway with
       communities and public servants to ensure that people were informed about the project
       and had ample opportunity to raise concerns. These communities broadly supported the
       project as the improved road would provide better access, including to Port Moresby and
       the Central Province’s capital, Kerema. Consultations are being planned in three villages
       for Year 1 sub-project in the Milne Bay Province.
Institutional Arrangements. Staff within DoWI and among contractors will receive
training, where necessary, to screen sub-project activities, evaluate their effects on IPs,
and address any grievances. Under DoWI’s leadership, and with support from the World
Bank Team, contractors will take on increasing responsibility for ensuring that mitigation
measures are implemented.

Monitoring and Grievance Redress Mechanisms. The DoWI’s Provincial Offices and
the EPM will regularly supervise and monitor the implementation of sub-project
activities and possible related impacts on IPs. The grievance procedures, which have
been evaluated as culturally appropriate, will record any impacts and concerns caused by
the sub-projects. In addition, the existing grievance redress mechanism will be
strengthened through further capacity building of DoWI staff and contractors, and by
providing a phone number for local communities to express grievances.

Customary Land Tradition. Customary land in PNG is a form of collective and
inalienable title that adapts and sustains common benefits, over many generations. Under
customary PNG law, customary land cannot be sold, is owned by families and
administered by clan leaders. The LARF that was prepared for RMRP II was updated to
address any adverse social impacts that may result due to involuntary acquisition of
assets and/or changes in land use, and includes provisions for compensation and
rehabilitation assistance. The LARF recognizes customary law and customary land title
as the main mechanism for ensuring the maintenance of relationships with ancestral land.
The main framework for resolving any land issues will rest on the three stages for the
attempted settlement of disputes over customary land set out in the Land Disputes
Settlement Act. For sub-projects that may involve resettlement or land acquisition,
DoWI, with guidance from the World Bank Team, would carry out sub-project
resettlement plans to address the magnitude and complexity of the issues and in
accordance with local indigenous peoples’ traditions and legal practices.