The Coalition of Parliamentarians to end Gender Based Violence and the Special Parliamentary Committee on GBV offered its congratulations to the Minister for Community Development Wake Goi and Minister for Inter Government Affairs Pila Niningi for the opening of the District Community Development Centre at Walume, Immbongu District of Southern Highlands Province last Friday 17th September, 2021. The opening was attended by Coalition members, Hon. Jelta Wong, Minister for Health and Hon. Powes Parkop, Governor for NCD. The new Centre is a significant step in rolling out the national strategy to end GBV. It is the first time in the country that there will be a GBV safe house to provide refuge and support GBV survivors at the district level. On behalf of the Coalition that he Co-Chairs, Governor Parkop stated: “We welcome this development in Immbongu as one of the aims of the Coalition of Parliamentarians is to develop the capacity to deal with GBV at the provincial and district levels. We call on all Open Members of parliament to collaborate with the Department for Community Development, Youth and Religion to build such centres and capacities in your own districts.” Governor Parkop reflected that the national GBV strategy does not have to wait for the National Government to set up the national secretariat and allocate resources to roll out the strategy. Districts and provinces can also create and adopt their own district and provincial strategies and build up their own capacities to start taking on the challenge at their level. The GBV Strategic Plan and the District Community Development Centre are official Government Policies that complement each other. They have to be allocated funding both at national and district level. The Coalition and the GBV Parliamentary Committee Members look forward to working with Minister Niningi and supporting him to get the Centre at Walume operational as soon as possible. The Coalition also looks forward to working with Minister Goi to roll out the District Community Development Centre Policy to the 88 remaining districts in the country.