Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has met with the Secretary-General of United Nations, His Excellency Antonio Guterres, on the margins of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders’ meeting in Tonga today.
Their discussions centred around the continued fight against climate change impact, the State of the Economy after COVID19, the Pacific Islands Forum agenda, and how UN could better assist Papua New Guinea overcome challenges it is facing today.
Prime Minister Marape informed Mr Guterres that the PNG economy is recovering with a slow growth rate of 3 percent and he expects this to improve to 4 percent at the end of this year.
He said his government has begun implementing a 13-year fiscal consolidation strategy three years ago which has been reducing the country’s deficit, with a surplus budget expected in 2027.
He also informed Mr Guterres that Papua New Guinea’s debt has been reduced to 51 percent, compared to the COVID-19-induced debt which was high at around 55 percent.
Prime Minister Marape also informed the Secretary-General that Papua New Guinea is considering not attending the upcoming COP29 summit this year because PNG feels there is little action following through from these meetings in support of nations actually impacted by climate change, as well as the lack of support to economies that have rainforest which is central to the climate change fight.
Forest conservation and carbon emission reduction must be discussed together. They are two sides of the same coin. The carbon emitted by developed nations is taken in by our rainforests which, in turn, produce the oxygen needed for all our survival,” Prime Minister Marape said.
PM Marape elaborated that revenue collected from forestry contributes to development in Third World forest nations, like PNG, who cannot continue to be expected to conserve these global assets when industrialised nations have not put forward funding strategies to help in conserving these rainforests.
Mr Guterres commended the Prime Minister on his government’s handling of the Bougainville peace process and offered UN’s continued support in this area.
Responding to Mr Guterres’ offer of UN commitment and support to PNG, Prime Minister Marape requested that the Secretary-General be a voice of the Blue Pacific and rainforest nations in urging discussions on compensation for forest conservation and reforestation, and the protection of Pacific Ocean, known as Blue Pacific.
Prime Minister Marape said the Blue Pacific may be small in terms of land mass but the vast Pacific Ocean and marine life is the biggest carbon sink in the world, in addition to the rainforests of the island of New Guinea which is the world’s third biggest rainforest.
He thanked the Secretary-General for UN’s continued support to PNG in all the areas it is engaged in.
Prime Minister Marape then extended a verbal invitation to the Secretary-General to attend Papua New Guinea’s 50th Anniversary of Independence next year 2025.