The Office of Urbanisation, together with National Consultative Committee on Urbanisation, is commissioned by the Government of Papua New Guinea to formulate a national urbanisation policy, a strategy to manage urbanisation process taking place in Papua New Guinea.

The vision of the National Urbanisation Policy is to make sure the benefits of urbanisation are maximised and dispersed both within and between communities throughout Papua New Guinea, while the social disruption of urban drift are minimised.

The function of Office of Urbanisation is to make sure the National Urbanisation Policy achieve its vision through its successful implementation. Its long term roles and responsibilities are to manage and coordinate its projects and programs in a sustainable manner.

Office of Urbanisation carries out consultation and awareness on urbansation issues affecting the nation throughout PNG. Urbanisation issues are complex in nature as they touch almost every aspects of life including both rural and urban centres. Therefore, the National Consultative Committee on Urbanisation carries out awareness basing on the following seven strategies of the National Urbanisation Policy.

The following are the issues the organisation looks at;

• Population and Employment
• Infrastructure and Transportation
• Urban Forms and the Environment
• Housing and Social Services
• Land availability
• Law and Order
• Development Administration

The office of Urbanisation addresses the areas of urban physical planning, decentralised of urban services to rural areas where they can easily have access to government services.

Urban Customary Land is registered and is given to the genuine owners so that they can benefit from development taking place from their land.

Mass rural-Urban Migration is minimised or controlled.

Discourage alienation of urban customary land, but promotes urban landowners participate in the land development processes.

Making more land available for towns and cities.

More business encouraged, increase job opportunities and reduction of poverty, etc.

Promotes Social Charter-advocates roles and responsibilities of urban population as people have the right to live in any part of the country but also have the responsibility to respect fellow Papua New Guineans.

The National Urbanisation Policy addresses managing /controlling urban settlement in a strategic approach, not ‘cut and slash’ approach as applied in some areas. The urban customary landowners and people living in the settlement are advised as advocates through the policy, that some settlements will be;

• Relocated
• Downgraded
• Or upgraded

The Office of Urbanisation is headed by the Chairman of National Consultative Committee on Urbanisation, who is also the Director of Office of Urbanisation. Under the Deputy Director are two Assistant Directors responsible for Policy & Research and Monitoring & Evaluation and other section managers include Corporate Services, Research & Policy and Monitoring & Evaluation and Executive Officer. The Office of Urbanisation has sixteen staff but together with Urban Governance Support Program.