Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has welcomed a new cooperation project with the European Union on ‘Forest, Climate Change and Biodiversity’ in Papua New Guinea.
He welcomed the project during a meeting with Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission, on the sidelines of the One Forest Summit in Libreville, Gabon, last Wednesday (Thursday PNG time). PM Marape arrived back in PNG today (Sunday, March 5, 2023) after attending the Summit.
“This project comes at the right time to support us with the preservation of our forests and biodiversity and help us to fight climate change through carbon markets among other green growth initiatives,” PM Marape said.
“Papua New Guinea has extensive forests and biodiversity that we want to properly harness and develop to support sustainable livelihoods for our rural communities.
“The action supports our ambition to ensure sustainable management of our natural resources and our goal to move to a green, carbon neutral economy by 2050.”
On the occasion of the ‘One Forest Summit,” the EU and PNG invited other Team Europe members to join these efforts and work together to support PNG in protecting its forests and increase resilience against climate change.
The EU acknowledged PNG’s leadership at the global stage on climate change and biodiversity and expressed interest to partner bilaterally as part of efforts to raise ambition on climate action.
With approximately 78 per cent of its landmass covered by forest, PNG is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to the third-largest tropical rainforest in the world and more than 7 per cent of the world’s biodiversity.
The new project aims to support Papua New Guinea in the area of forestry, climate change and biodiversity around these main axes:
- Stronger regulatory and institutional framework;
- Stronger awareness, knowledge and capacities;
- Access to Climate Finance and advocacy through climate diplomacy; and
- Increased public and private sector investment, sustainable growth and decent jobs.
The European Union and the Pacific region have a shared ambition of achieving a low-carbon and resilient global economy by 2050. The EU-Pacific Green-Blue Alliance, launched at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, focuses on climate action, resilience, and sustainable use of natural capital as the basis for inclusive and sustainable economic development, while respecting the rule of law, human rights and fundamental values.
As part of the EU-Pacific Green-Blue Alliance, the EU is preparing a new cooperation project on
‘Forest, Climate Change and Biodiversity’ in PNG. The new initiative is a concrete
implementation of Global Gateway in the Pacific region, as it will offer sustainable partnership for a green and digital transition, focusing on the Green Deal. It is also fully in line with the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which identifies the Green Transition as a priority area of work with partners in the Pacific.
******
