The development of the Women’s Policy took almost ten years and probably involved the widest community consultation of any government policy, through women leaders at the national and local levels, the National Council of Women, church women’s groups, and government agencies and departments (personal communication Kajoi, Kesno 2001; Nakikus et al. 1991). Many workshops were held to consider various policy drafts, and consultations were held in every province at district level (ibid.). The policy was finally completed in 1990 and launched by Prime Minister Wingti in 1992. It spelled out the government’s role in women’s development issues by placing responsibility on a number of key government departments, such as Health, Education, Agriculture and Planning, to better plan policies and programs with consideration of their impact on women. The policy delineated the roles of the Women’s Division and the National Council of Women and urged the government to strengthen the National Council of Women and other non-government organizations of women.

The policy also introduced a new approach, that of gender mainstreaming. Under this approach, line departments were to include women’s projects within their particular policy mandates, while the Women’s Division was to facilitate and monitor implementation. Unfortunately, most departments have not taken the Women’s Policy seriously. Despite the wide consultation with various stakeholders in formulating the policy, line departments need specific guidance from the Women’s Division or gender specialists as to how gender mainstreaming is to be incorporated within the policy units of the line departments. The rationale behind sending a large government delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women, in Beijing, was to give female officers an insight into how to mainstream gender within their respective departments. The delegation included women from line departments, including the prime minister’s department, and representatives from two provincial governments and the social sector. Two years after ‘Beijing + Five’, only four government agencies have lived up to that expectation, namely the Departments of Agriculture and Livestock, Education, Mining, and the University of Papua New Guinea.