DoWH hosts National Awareness Workshop on Climate-Resilient Road Infrastructure in Papua New Guinea
May 8, 2026
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Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, May 6 2026 – The Department of Works and Highways (DoWH), in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), hosted a two-day National Awareness Workshop on Climate-Resilient Road Infrastructure Standards, Guidelines, and Operational Manuals in Port Moresby from 5–6 May 2026.
The workshop formed part of the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States – Papua New Guinea (IRIS PNG) Project, a two-year initiative supported by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) through the Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF).
Papua New Guinea remains highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with increasing rainfall, landslides, coastal erosion, storm surges, and prolonged drought placing growing pressure on the country’s road network. As transport infrastructure remains essential to national connectivity, economic development, and access to basic services, strengthening resilience in the sector has become a national priority.
The IRIS PNG Project supports the Government of Papua New Guinea to systematically integrate climate resilience into road infrastructure planning, design, construction, and maintenance. Key project outputs include updated climate-resilient road design standards, Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) guidelines, and operational manuals that support climate-proofing across the infrastructure lifecycle.
The awareness workshop brought together approximately 25 participants from government agencies, development partners, the private sector, academia, and media organizations to:
- Raise awareness of newly developed climate-resilient road infrastructure standards, guidelines, and operational manuals;
- Build stakeholder understanding of how climate resilience can be integrated into future road design and construction;
- Strengthen the capacity of public and private sector actors involved in transport infrastructure delivery; and
- Promote partnerships and collaboration to support implementation of climate-resilient infrastructure practices across Papua New Guinea.
Over the two-day programme, participants were introduced to project outputs including updated design standards, climate-responsive operational manuals, climate risk assessment tools, and implementation frameworks for mainstreaming resilience across road infrastructure planning and management.
The workshop also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to engage directly with technical experts, discuss implementation pathways, and explore partnership opportunities for future climate-resilient infrastructure investments.
The Secretary of the Department of Works and Highways, Mr. Gibson Holemba emphasized the need for mainstream service delivery and modernizing the country’s approach under the Connect PNG programme.
“The outdated standards, practices and technologies are not long sufficient, and I would like to call for an adoption of environmentally friendly and nature-based solutions, including biotechnical engineering. We need to go back to the universities to embed the updated knowledge and skills into the future workforce,” stated Mr. Holemba.
Secretary Holemba described the road network as the backbone of national unity, economic growth and service delivery and noted that resilient infrastructure is essential to unlocking opportunities across provinces.
Also speaking at the workshop, Climate Change and Development Authority, Acting Managing Director, Ms. Debrah Sungi underscored the urgent need to integrate climate risk into national development planning.
“Climate resilience must be systematically embedded into infrastructure investment, aligned with the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (2020) and the broader policy frameworks, as well as the Connect PNG 2020-2040 programme. We (CCDA) reaffirmed our central role in coordinating and mainstreaming these efforts across government systems, strengthening partnerships, and supporting access to climate finance,” said Ms. Sungi.
She added that the success of climate-resilient infrastructure will depend on sustained collaboration, consistent application, and a collective commitment to building a more resilient future for PNG.
Two representatives of the AIIB, Ms. Marie Shimizu and Mr. Olivier Oudin also participated online and pledged their commitment to supporting sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure.
“It is a pleasure to join our partners in Papua New Guinea at this important workshop. As the country faces increasing climate risks—particularly to its road infrastructure—strengthening resilience is essential to maintaining connectivity and supporting long-term economic development,” stated Ms. Shimizu.
She went on to commend the leadership of DoWH, strong collaboration among partners, and hoped that the workshop would further enhance knowledge sharing and partnerships to build more resilient infrastructure across the country.
Director General for the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Mr. Amit Prothi congratulated all partners for reaching this significant milestone in strengthening the climate resilience of Papua New Guinea’s transport infrastructure.
“PNG faces an increasingly complex risk landscape. Infrastructure assets are exposed to multiple hazards often across challenging terrains and dispersed geographies. Building resilience is fundamental to sustainable development. Resilient guidelines and manuals developed through this partnership will make a lasting contribution to the DoWH long-term agenda under Connect PNG 2020-2040,” said Mr. Prothi.
He went on to say that the partnership demonstrated how coordinated, well-aligned actions could translate climate risk awareness to systematic solutions.
Country Representative for GGGI PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Mohammad Ali Shaikh highlighted the importance of advancing climate-resilient road infrastructure.
“Roads are critical lifelines connecting communities to essential services and economic opportunities, and that climate resilience must now be central to infrastructure planning and delivery. Resilient infrastructure is not only about protecting roads – it is about protecting communities, strengthening economies, and securing the future of Papua New Guinea,” said Mr. Shaikh.
The workshop marked an important milestone in the IRIS PNG Project and reaffirmed the DoWH’s commitment to embedding climate resilience within Papua New Guinea’s transport infrastructure systems, consistent with the Connect PNG 2020–2040 Programme and the country’s commitments under the Nationally Determined Contribution 2020 (PNG NDC 2020).
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PNG Office
Lorraine Basse, Communications Associate
GGGI Pacific (Regional Office)
Kelly Vacala, Regional Communications & Knowledge Sharing Lead
Thematic Areas
Country