Women candidates in PNG often lack support and funding, but increasing women’s political participation could lead to more equality and greater democracy
The communities, represented by the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre, have been in discussions with Rio Tinto since December, in negotiations facilitated by the Australian government.
The assessment of Panguna will be conducted by an independent third party and will identify environmental and human rights impacts and risks posed by the mine and develop recommendations for remediation.
Rio Tinto has not yet committed to funding the mine clean-up; this will be the subject of further discussions after the assessment is completed.
Panguna was once one of the world’s largest and most profitable copper and gold mines, at one point accounting for 45% of all of PNG’s exports. But less than 1% of profits from the mine went to Bougainville and landowners say the mine left them with political division, violence, and environmental degradation.