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US AID Opens PNG Office

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The opening of a US Agency for International Development (US AID) Office in Papua New Guinea is desired to improve public health care systems, responses to natural disasters and drive a sustainable economic growth.

US AID Administrator Samantha Power who met with Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby announced an additional funding support of $5.2 million for disaster preparedness.
Some of that funding will be used to provide relief assistance to the Mt. Bagana eruption in South Bougainville.

Ms Powers who is the first US AID administrator to visit PNG says the opening of a US AID Representative Office in country is a reflection of USA’s desire to build on the progress both countries have made since PNG’s independence.

“This fulfills President Biden’s promise from last year, and again, is a reflection of this deepened commitment to Papua New Guinea and to the broader region,” Power said.

Prime Minister James Marape said his government’s focus on a special relationship with USA is not just on politics or defence but in all sense.

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape meeting US AID Administrator Samantha Power.

“The presence of Ms. Power is to indicate to us the completeness of U.S. presence in our country is not just in security, or not just in government-to-government relationship, or security and defence cooperation, but in every aspect of our relationship with the USA,” said Marape.

The brief visit to Port Moresby focuses on recognising PNG build its own disaster response capabilities by creating disaster management plans, pursuing climate smart agriculture, and providing stronger protection for women and girls.

Power said the additional funding will go towards disaster preparedness to help communities become resilient “Recognizing that Papua New Guinea is one of the countries at highest risk of natural disasters in the world, US AID will provide $ 5.2 million in additional humanitarian assistance and assistance to disaster reliance in PNG,” Power said.

Regional Member for Bougainville Peter Tsiamalili Jnr on the timely assistance in relief efforts by foreign donors. This comes after the recent Mt Bagana eruption in South-West Bougainville.
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Agriculture

Fijian Prime Minister and Delegates’ Visit Ilimo Farm

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Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka in his recent visit to PNG, was given the opportunity to visit the Innovative Agro Industry’s farms over the weekend.

The Prime Minister and his delegates began their tour at the Ilimo Dairy Farm at 14 mile, outside of Port Moresby.

They were given a tour of the milking parlor and the production facility, where they witnessed first-hand the different processes of producing milk and other Ilimo products.

The Fijian Delegates ended their tour at the 9 mile vegetable farm.

They had the opportunity to visit the green houses, where various vegetables are grown, including the advanced drip irrigation and climate control systems.

The Prime Minister was impressed with the tour, saying it was an eye opener for them.

“I am sure the official delegation will take back with them a lot from this visit, and try to incorporate them into the Agro Industries at home,” said Prime Minister Rabuka.

The Innovative Agro Industries was first established in 2011, and they are involved in  a wide range of activities such as farming, greenhouses, poultry and dairy.

AIA Executive Director, Ilan Weiss said the visit is an opportunity for them to showcase the progress and advancement in the fields of agriculture and food production.

“It is always an honor for us to show dignitaries visiting the country, what we do. We took a lot of pride in what we do, and there’s a lot of passion put into our work.

“It is agriculture, it is a long term investment.” The Executive Director said.

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PNG Invited US for Military Agreement

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Papua New Guineas Prime Minister James Marape says the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed between Papua New Guinea and the United States of America was not forced by the United States rather it was Papua New Guinea who invited the United States.

Prime Minister Marape says the agreement is not a move by the United States to counter China’s geopolitics in the region, rather an agreement to improve PNGs military capabilites, these sentiments were shared by US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, who despite popular theory didn’t mention any involvement of US military in PNG as a counter to Chinas growing military presence in the South China sea.

Prime Minister Marape says the Agreement will be made public to debunk claims of the agreement being undermining of PNGs sovereignty.

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Bougainville to Produce First Draft of an Autochthonous Constitution

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Consultations for a constitution for Bougainville towards independence has stated and is nearing its end with the Southern region final chapter for the consultations.
Vice President Patrick Nisira part of the envoy made it clear that the process towards independence for Bougainville has been laid out and there is no room for doubts, as the ABG has the main goal of independence for Bougainville.
“We are not second guessing we are working with the PNG Government to get Independence for Bougainville, we are merely implementing the wishes of the people of Bougainville expressed through the Bougainville Referendum conducted under PNG Laws, to be an Independent country.
“The people of Bougainville made a choice, we try to bring justification for the 97.7 percent why did people of Bougainville vote? Let’s not dwell on that it was a free and fair vote.
“We have been across the country in all four regions and we are doing Political lobbying for the final process of ratification in Parliament we want to gain support of the members of parliament in PNG,” Nisira added
The Bougainville Referendum vote in 2019 had an overwhelming support of 97.7 percent that voted for independence, it was from two options made available, the first being greater Autonomy and the second option Independence. The majority of Bougainvillean’s opted for Independence.

With the referendum results clear on the choice for independence began the Post Referendum consultations, with the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) meetings paving the way for a foreseeable final political settlement, which upholds the terms and conditions of both the Bougainville Peace Agreement and part XVI of the PNG Constitution on the Bougainville Government and Bougainville Referendum.
After the three Post referendum consultations in Kokopo, Wabag and Port Moresby, the recent signing of the Era Kone Covenant on the finalisation of the Bougainville Referendum on Independence, has set the ball rolling for a final political settlement.
The PNG Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government both agreed in Port Moresby to uphold the commitments made in Kokopo and Wabag for the implementation of arrangements for independence/political settlement no earlier than 2025 and no later than 2027.
With a foreseeable future ahead the formulation of an independent nation is founded on a constitution, thus the ABG has assigned the Bougainville Constitutional Planning Commission to conduct a consultation with Bougainvilleans across Papua New Guinea.
Similar to how Papua New Guinea Established their constitution Bougainville will have a wide consultation for a founding constitution.
The commission is concluding its consultations in the southern region and are in Port Moresby and will later move on to Alotau.
The commission was represented by Vice president of the Autonomous Bougainville Government Patrick Nisira and Minister for Independence Mission Implementation and the Attorney General Ezekiel Masatt, who is also the commission’s deputy chairperson, the two spoke to the first gathering at the University of Papua New Guinea at the Drill Hall.
The commission said the purpose of the consultation is to take account of the opinions and inputs by Bougainvillea’s living across the country in order to produce the first draft of an autochthonous constitution, meaning a constitution that will be native to Bougainville to be an independent nation.
Attorney General Ezekiel Masatt said the consultation upholds the 2019 referendum that had 97.7 percent of Bougainvillians voting for independence, he gave a patriotic uplifting speech to those that gathered, telling those present that Bougainvillians must take responsibility of their part in this process towards independence.

“If you look at the referendum and a general election, the processes are the same except in the elections where we vote for individuals and they are replaced or retained in a set time.
“No one before or after the referendum will ever go through this process, it is this generation that has voted for generations to come. Voting through the referendum is not enough, the work we are doing to establish a constitution for Bougainville will give meaning to our referendum vote and shape the independent society we talk of.
“If we had voted overwhelmingly for independence 97.7 percent our responsibility did not end at the polling booth it actually started now that the commission is here we must acknowledge the responsibility that I voted for generations to come.
“No one forced me to make the decision of independence over greater autonomy, we owe it to future generations to shape our society and must take part in these consultations to develop our constitution”, Massat said.
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville had decided on the Path to Independence through a vote of referendum under the transitional Government which is the Autonomous Bougainville Government,
Now what is left is the ratification by the 11th parliament in PNG, for a final political settlement.
Whilst the political lobbying is ongoing, Bougainville has to have a strong economy that can support the growth of an independent nation, Vice President Nisira highlighted a few key projects that will bolster economic growth to propel Bougainville towards Independence.
“If we can work together, we can bring forth an economy that can sustain our independence, the political process is on track, but we do recognize the need for a strong economy for independence, we do not deny it, we are going to address it.
“Bougainville Copper bankrolled PNGs independence, and we have the mine, we have the asset, the President and the people of Panguna have agreed to reopen the mine, they want to create a local entity to attract international investors partnering with the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
“Hopefully by August the Government will give the Exploration License ELO1, to start bringing in investors,” Nisira said.

“Hopefully by August the Government will give the Exploration License ELO1, to start bringing in investors,”

Vice President ABG Patrick Nisira

The Vice President also mentioned that there are other projects as well inline to start which includes the
Manitai Limestone project, and the Bougainville National Gold Refinery which Nisira says is 80% Complete.
“We will keep our Gold in Bougainville.
“The investor will hold 60% whilst the Bougainville Government will have 40% share,” Nisira said.
The Vice President also mentioned the Bougainville Economic Plan which he says is in its draft phase.
“With this plan the ABG, Civil Society and business community will have better coordination towards building an efficient plan to improve the economic status of Bougainville,” Nisira added.
The other important projects include the building of enabling infrastructures, through donor partners and the government of PNG. This encompasses the construction of roads bridges and wharfs.
“We are still working on Bougainville Power to solve power issues in the region, we are also looking into green energy, Solar power and the hydro project in Tinputz will be revisited.

Consultations in Port Moresby will continue on Saturday at the UPNG Drill hall.

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Proposed media policy will hurt Public’s right to information

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The Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF), an advocacy network of Journalists and Media Practitioners have expressed grave concerns about the new media policy proposed by the office of the Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Timothy Masiu.

In a statement, PFF said this policy will put limitations on PNG journalists’ ability to report freely and impact the quality of public information.

A concern raised by current Chairperson, Robert Iroga of the Solomon Islands stated that the public right to information will be affected by restrictions and regulations of the PNG Media Industry.

All eyes of the outside media fraternity are now on PNG as recent news of the policy has sparked the interest of journalists regionally and globally.

“We join the many voices in opposing the policy as it is a red flag in democracies like PNG where the role of the independent media is important for keeping island communities informed,” said Iroga.

PFF is extending their support toward journalists in PNG and the Media Council of Papua New Guinea by calling on the PNG Government to heed the voices of PNG’s journalists’ and seek understanding of the outpouring support against the Government’s proposal.

“Media and elected leaders serve the same people, our communities of the Pacific”

PFF encouraged Prime Minister, James Marape and his cabinet to seek dialogue with members of the PNG Media fraternity and bring forth a solution that upholds the public’s best interest.

“We oppose any efforts to undermine democracies by using the law to curtail the freedom of journalists to report freely in any democracy.

“Efforts such as those aiming to regulate or license journalists must never replace our professional ethics and the freedom to report without fear or favor”

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Training for Women Leaders

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Twenty Women Leaders from various provinces recently graduated from the Pacific Institute of Pacific and Leadership and Governance, after a six-month Leadership training.

The Women Leadership Academy training targets female ward councilors and women representatives from the sub-national level, with the aim to advance their political careers.

The training program was facilitated by PILAG, in partnership with UN Women, and supported by the Australian High Commission and New Zealand High Commission, through the Women Make the Change Program.

The six-month training covers six modules covering topics on Ward Development Plan, and Pubic Speaking among others, and this is the second cohort of Women Leadership Academy.

The women leaders saying appreciative of the program, saying the training has encouraged and motivated them to be good decision-makers in their local communities.

UN Women country representative Themba Kalua said women are significantly under-represent in decision-making and leadership positions, and there is a need for women’s political participation.

“The current statics shows that PNG is 184 out of 186 countries in the world when it comes to women’s representation in Parliament, so PNG is not doing very well,” Kalua said.

He said having women in leadership will help in development progress, and everyone must support women’s political participation.

PILAG CEO Michael Barobe said PILAG is committed to working in partnership with the UN Women Program, and the Women Make the Change Program to support women political leaders and ensure women are promoted as leaders.

“We would like to see more of our women, who have taken this training step up and face the challenge,” the CEO said.

The CEO said the government has been advocating for more women in Parliament, however, there is a need for action, to bring about this change.

He is calling for more government participation in this training program, to ensure women are well represented at the National and Sub-National Levels.

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Foreign Trade

Strengthening Ties with Japan

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Prime Minister James Marape met with the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, before attending the state funeral of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

PM Marape was accompanied by International Trade and Investment Minister, Richard Maru and East Sepik Governor, Allan Bird.

“Today was just a short, one-day visit to Japan for me, but very important in consolidating relations between our two countries,”

“There are 191 world leaders here today to attend the State Funeral of the late Shinzo Abe, and for PNG to have been accorded the honour of meeting Japanese Prime Minister Kishida is very special,” the PM said.

The Prime Minister also met with executives of Japan’s major energy companies with discussions centred around the LNG project and downstream processing which the Government is pushing for PNG to be more active in.

“Prime Minister Kishida, during our discussions, highlighted Japan’s need for energy security as well as the need for trade between our two countries to grow.”

Japan through its JX Nippon Oil and Gas Company is a joint venture with Nippon PNG LNG, which has interests in the PNG LNG Project. Since the 1st shipment, PNG has supplied approximately a 7.9million tonnes of liquefied natural gas every year to the world market, and Japan is one country that PNG supplies.

Japan is also involved in other major projects like the K692million Nadzab Airport Redevelopment Project which is currently in its construction phase. The project is captured under Japan’s Economic Corporation program which aims to improve PNG’s economy and broaden internationalization.

“Prime Minister Kishida highlighted the fact that PNG is an important bilateral partner of Japan,” said Marape.

Prime Minister Marape concluded his meeting by assuring the Japanese Prime Minister that outstanding trade treaties between the two countries will resume and PNG will continue to assist Japan where necessary, especially in its energy security needs.

The Prime Minister left for the United States where he will attend the Pacific Islands Summit in Washington DC.

Prime Minister James Marape and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their meeting this morning in Tokyo. Picture by PM’s Department
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PNG Sports Media Ready To Assist Solomon Islands in 2023

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Papua New Guinea Sports Media Association (PNGSMA) is prepared to assist the Solomon Islands with its Media & Communications Plan for the 2023 Pacific Games. 

PNG SMA President Peter Sevara Jr said the onus is on PNG to ensure the “Happy Isles” obtain the best from their aspirations.

“Both countries continue to benefit from Government to Government relations over the years and it is no different this time around.”

“While Team PNG will also come to compete, the onus is on PNG to ensure their experiences of hosting big games will come in handy to assist the Solomon Islands to achieve a successful outcome,” Sevara said.

The President and PNGSMA Secretary Isaac Liri are both attending the Pacific Sports Media Dialogue in Honiara in conjunction with the 6th Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Media Summit from the 26th to the 30th of this month.

The Pacific Sports Media dialogue hosted by the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) has been assisting PNG and four other Pacific Islands to set up its Sports Journalist Association over the past five years.

“Collaboration throughout the Pacific region is what we need and I believe we have enough capacity to reach out to our brothers and sisters to offer them a hand in building their preparedness.”

“We are only as good as those around us so in true Pacific fashion let’s support each other because we understand each other more,” Sevara added.

Sevara said the current Melanesian Spearhead Group Prime Ministers Cup hosted in Vanuatu is an example of the region coming together to build awareness of our capacity and foster mutual relationships.

The meet was graced by Koroi Hawkins, a part Solomon Islander and Fijian who was employed by Radio New Zealand International straight out of Solomon Islands.

Hawkins shared that news from our region has always been negative but said sports reporters in the pacific can change that.

He added that the opportunity to use their sport writing skills to change negative perceptions of our region lies on their shoulders because, in world news, pacific sports news travels faster and further throughout the world than any other news genre.

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MSG PM’s Cup Vital For a United Melanesia

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Sport is a vital tool for development and when it is driven strategically encompassing as many values as possible the impact it has on a region or globally can be quite profound.

The Melanesian Spearhead Group Prime Ministers Cup presently hosted in Vanuatu aims to enhance bilateral agreements and partnerships for the Melanesian people.

PNG Sports Foundation Executive Director Albert Veratau is adamant that Sport can act as a tool for change by uniting our people.

Veratau is in Vanuatu after facilitating PNG participation in the revived competition through collaborative efforts from various Government partners.

“Melanesian people alone make up over 50% of the population in the Pacific region. These are the people from the five countries in PNG, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia including the regions in West Papua, the Torres Strait Islanders and the Australian Aboriginals.”

“Together we will have an impact on the global stage but we need strategic and necessary decisions to unite our sub-region,” Veratau said.

Melanesian countries are already making an impact in sports like Rugby Union, Beach Volleyball, Soccer, Rugby League and Futsal with its people among the stars of high-level competitions like NRL in Australia, Super League in England, and Super Rugby in the Southern Hemisphere.

PNG alone with over 8 million population has taken the necessary steps to initiate talks for the revival of the Melanesian Cup through the MSG Sports Secretariat through former chairman John Susuve, a senior officer of the PNG Sports Foundation.

Now a FIFA-sanctioned event that will in future include a women’s edition, plans are mooted to bring other sports into the fold.

“This is the best in Melanesia and the Pacific coming together to enhance their skills and showcasing some amazing talents.”

“The more we come together to celebrate our skills there lies the more opportunities for strengthening ties and developing collaborative programs for improved outcomes.”

“Conversations on development goals must be had sooner rather than later to define our role in the Pacific and Oceania region,” said Susuve.

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PINA Summit Underway in Honiara

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The 6th Pacific Media Summit of 2022 commenced yesterday with pre-summit workshops in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

InsidePNG is amongst media persons and delegates within the Pacific region including Australia and New Zealand who have convened in the Solomon Islands for the biennial event.

With the fast evolution of technological advances in the world, the Pacific region is no exception. Archiving Pacific stories and its rich cultural heritage is in a more vulnerable state than ever before and the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Summit is focused on the theme: Digital Revolution: Transforming threats into opportunities for the Pacific Media.

The weeklong series of workshops will be facilitated by UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), PINA, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and its Media Development Initiative, Pacific Media Assistance Scheme, and Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC).

Pre-Summit topics which started yesterday (26th Sept) included Media Role in Investigating the Management of Public Resources and ‘Sports Media Dialogue.

Today, (27th Sept) the summit is covering Digitising Archives and Preserving Pacific stories, Reporting on Sports integrity & corruption in the Pacific and Digital Communications safety and Security. The plenary sessions are presented via the partnership of PACJM, PINA, and UNODC.

Throughout the week the group will look at topics such as ‘the media and political leadership in a digital age, shrinking spaces for media freedom, and digitising archives and preserving Pacific stories’.

The Summit also hopes to ensure participants have a better understanding of the role of the media in investigating the management of public resources; how to increase reporting on UNCAC and anti-corruption by Pacific Island journalists, and transfer knowledge of corruption awareness to other media in-country as trainers and through partnerships; and specifically, the participants will have clarity and understanding on how to access more information and resources on the management of public resources.

“While we don’t have the capacity as developing countries to fully digitise our content, monetary-wise, It is extremely important to start the process of digitising our content in whatever means and ways we can, especially Pacific Island content as it captures the rich history of our island countries,” said Kora Nou, the President of PINA.

The Summit will conclude on Friday, 30th September 2022 with a PINA retreat and General Conference.

Journalists and Media Persons from the Pacific in the opening workshop in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Picture by Hare Haro
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