01
Preservation & promotion of PNG cultures
Documenting and supporting living traditions — sing-sing, bilum weaving, canoe building, oral histories and customary knowledge — with the communities that hold them.
03Programme
Culture & Heritage Programme
Safeguarding the living traditions, heritage sites and cultural knowledge of one of the most diverse nations on earth.
Overview
Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse nations on earth. The Culture & Heritage programme works to preserve and promote this extraordinary wealth — from sing-sing traditions and bilum weaving to the archaeological landscapes that tell the story of early humanity.
The programme carries PNG's obligations under UNESCO's culture conventions: the 1972 World Heritage Convention, the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and the conventions on illicit trafficking and cultural diversity. That means inventory work, nomination dossiers, site management support and community-led safeguarding plans.
Central to the approach is that culture in PNG is living, not archival. Custodianship rests with clans and communities, and the Commission's role is to support them — with documentation, recognition, training and access to international expertise.
Key activities
5 workstreams
02
National heritage sites management
Working with the National Museum and Art Gallery and provincial authorities on inventories, site protection, conservation planning and heritage awareness.
03
World Heritage — Kuk Early Agricultural Site
Supporting the management, monitoring and periodic reporting for PNG's World Heritage property in the Western Highlands, one of the earliest known sites of independent agriculture.
04
Tentative list & new nominations
Advancing PNG's tentative list of candidate sites and building the technical capacity needed to prepare credible nomination dossiers.
05
Museums, festivals & creative industries
Partnering on cultural festivals, museum programming and the creative economy so that heritage supports livelihoods as well as identity.
Areas of focus
- Intangible cultural heritage safeguarding
- World Heritage site management
- Community-led custodianship and documentation
- Preventing illicit trafficking of cultural property
Working with
- National Museum & Art Gallery
- National Cultural Commission
- Provincial cultural offices
- Community and clan custodians