Opportunities for peace and non violence in the Papua New Guinea Highlands

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to synthesise the literature addressing opportunities for intervention and peacemaking in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). It shows that peacebuilding in PNG is actively practised in a variety of different forms and by a range of actors. It relies heavily on local champions and coalitions working together with “bits of the state” in inventive but, ultimately, highly vulnerable ways. It argues that the way forward is to better understand how the multiple resources in and beyond the state can be networked more effectively to engineer peace at many different levels, from the clan to the nation state.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a thorough review of the scholarly and grey literature concerning peacebuilding and conflict resolution in PNG over the past 30 years.

Findings

The key insight is that peacemaking and non-violence interventions in PNG need to be understood as requiring three different categories of treatment: quick, short interventions; ongoing, slow peacebuilding; and development of community wellness to preventatively stave off violence through increased community cohesion.

Originality/value

The paper is the basis of original research.

Citation

Forsyth, M. (2025), "Opportunities for peace and non violence in the Papua New Guinea Highlands", Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 39-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-09-2024-0939