Building Community Engagement in Papua New Guinea (BCEP) is a governance programme that supports civil society to engage effectively with national and subnational government. Kivu provides strategic advice across the programme, supporting the team to think and work politically. We also directly support local partners, forging Coalitions for Change to influence public policy. Using a “learning through doing” approach, we strengthen the skillsets of think tanks, research institutes, business associations and faith-based organisations.
Our partners’ work on Economic Empowerment “goes with the grain” of policy-makers’ interests, addressing evidence gaps and proposing practical solutions to recognised problems. Their approach on Sorcery Accusation Related Violence is more “agenda setting”, raising the issue’s salience among important decision-makers. Throughout, we support partners to engage closely with senior policy-makers and opinion-formers, including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Three examples of our partners’ impact on government policy, all from 2025/26, are highlighted below.