Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea May 01, 2026 – 40 engineers, asset managers and technical officers from the Department of Works and Highways (DoWH), their provincial officers and key stakeholders attended a two-day technical training workshop on Climate-Responsive Road Infrastructure Integrated Guidelines and Implementation Framework in Port Moresby from 30th April – 01st May 2026. 

The workshop hosted by the DoWH in partnership with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was delivered under the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States – Papua New Guinea (IRIS PNG) Project, supported by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) through the Infrastructure Resilience Accelerator Fund (IRAF). 

The IRIS PNG Project is supporting the Government of Papua New Guinea to strengthen climate resilience in transport infrastructure planning, design, construction, and maintenance and this workshop introduced the participants to newly developed climate-responsive road infrastructure guidelines, operational manuals, and implementation processes designed to mainstream climate resilience throughout the road infrastructure lifecycle. 

The workshop focused on: 

• Building technical understanding of the new climate-responsive road manuals and implementation framework.  

• Strengthening capacity to apply Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA) findings in infrastructure planning and engineering decisions.  

• Promoting the integration of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), and climate adaptation measures into road infrastructure management; and  

• Identifying implementation priorities to support institutional adoption and rollout across Papua New Guinea. 

DoWH Assistant Secretary for the Environment and Social Safeguards Branch, Mr. Kenneth Yamu stressed on the importance of equipping the staff with the knowledge and practical skills needed to design, construct, maintain, and operate climate-resilient infrastructure. 

 “This training formed an important part of our capacity-building efforts to strengthen the potential of young engineers in the department. Engineers are encouraged to study the five manuals and taking ownership of their learning by facilitating training sessions for their colleagues. This approach not only deepened their understanding but also enhance their leadership in climate resilient infrastructure.”  

GGGI Deputy Country Representative, Miguel Mendez emphasized on GGGI’s commitment in supporting DoWH as they move from guidelines to implementation. 

“Looking ahead, this is a practical step towards stronger, more resilient road infrastructure in Papua New Guinea. Success will mean that climate risk becomes a routing part of decision-making within DoWH. It will mean more resilient roads, better use of resources, and more reliable infrastructure for communities.” 

Over the two-day program, the participants received practical guidance on applying climate-resilient approaches across the full road asset lifecycle, from design and construction through to maintenance, operations, rehabilitation, and decommissioning. 

The workshop marked an important milestone in the IRIS PNG Project and reaffirms 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 its Nationally Determined Contribution 2020 (PNG NDC 2020).

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For more information, visit:  https://gggi.org     

PNG Office  

Lorraine Basse, Communications Associate 

lorraine.basse@gggi.org  

GGGI Pacific (Regional Office)      

Kelly Vacala, Regional Communications & Knowledge Sharing Lead 

kelly.vacala@gggi.org