PNG’s Development Partnerships and International Reputation

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By Bernard Yegiora

How can PNG ensure development cooperation serves its national priorities while strengthening its international reputation? These questions guided the case studies assigned to Groups 5 and 6 in PG428 Foreign Policy in PNG at Divine Word University.

Drawing on the Foreign Policy White Paper 2025, the case studies asked students to consider practical approaches to development cooperation, national branding, soft power, and public diplomacy.

Case Study 5: Development Cooperation Coordination and Aid Effectiveness

Development cooperation can support PNG’s national development, but its effectiveness depends on how assistance is planned, coordinated, and managed.

This case study placed students in the role of a development cooperation coordination team within the Department of National Planning and Monitoring. The scenario asked them to examine the risks of fragmented projects, donor-driven priorities, and weak integration with national and provincial planning systems.

The central question was:

How can PNG strengthen government ownership, coordination, transparency, and accountability in development cooperation?

Students were asked to consider how government agencies, provincial authorities, churches, civil society organizations, and development partners could work together to align assistance with PNG’s priorities. The exercise also highlighted the importance of connecting development cooperation with government budgeting, institutional capacity, and sustainable outcomes.

Group 5 examines how stronger interdepartmental coordination and budget integration can support national and subnational ownership of development cooperation and deliver sustainable outcomes in PNG.

Case Study 6: National Branding, Soft Power, and Public Diplomacy

The second case study examined how PNG could coordinate its cultural, sporting, tourism, and diplomatic assets to strengthen its international reputation.

Students assumed the role of a public diplomacy and national branding committee. Their task was to consider how cultural diversity, people-to-people relationships, sports, churches, diplomatic missions, and the PNG diaspora could contribute to a coherent national strategy.

The central question was:

How can PNG develop and implement a national branding and soft power strategy that improves international perceptions, promotes tourism and investment, and strengthens national pride?

The scenario also asked students to account for reputational challenges associated with law and order, governance, and service delivery. It encouraged them to consider how international promotion could be supported by credible improvements at home.

Watch the Presentations

The recording provides the students’ analysis, proposed implementation frameworks, and the accompanying class discussion.

Watch the presentations by Groups 5 and 6 on YouTube

We experienced network issues during the session, so the recording quality may be less consistent than in the two earlier recordings. Thank you for your understanding.

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