Forest Minister Honorable Salio Waipo thanks the Australian Government and its people for the support and understanding given to promote the advancement of shared values and common goals in the Forestry sector in Papua New Guinea.
Hon Waipo who is also the Angoram MP is so grateful especially for the Minister for Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Australian Forestry officers for once again agreeing to dialogue and meeting agendas presented in the lead up bilateral discussion held leading up to the actual signing of the Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU).
“I would like to acknowledge the leadership of our Prime Minister Honorable James Marape, for inviting me to be part of the Ministerial Forum that was held in Canberra Australia on the 16th to the 17th of February 2023.
Further to this forum, my Ministry had a successful bilateral meeting with our Australian counterparts in Department of Agricultural, Fisheries and Forestry on the Cooperative Memorandum of Understanding to review and reform the Forestry sector between the two countries.
I commend the PNG Forest Authority Managing Director Mr. John Mosoro and his management team including the Chairlady of the National Forest Board Ms. Faith Barton, on the successful negotiations and agreeing to key platforms to reform the Forestry Sector.
Specifically, the Forestry Legislative Reviews, reviewing the regulatory framework for forest carbon, technical advice to promote downstream processing and market access to Australia, Building Capacity to establish and promote the advancement of Timber testing and new Forest Products as a result of increasing technical support to the Forest Research Institute, amongst others.
Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I must thank my officers and staff of PNG Forest Authority the Managing Director Mr. John Mosoro and the National Forest Board Chair and management team for successfully renewing and affirming our standing partnership with Australia through its Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
With the re-signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two Ministries for Forestry on the 17th of February 2023 in the Australian National Parliament House in Canberra, the Papua New Guinea Government and the Australian Government are embarking on transforming the sector and fostering greater cooperative collaboration on common shared values of promoting economic development in the region.
This MoU is a partnership understanding between PNG Forest Authority and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry which will promote, strengthen and implement the joint decision of both partners to maintain close cooperation to support the advancement of the Forestry sector and the Forest Industries of Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The MoU has been in standing action long before I became the Minister for Forest and obtained office and I see it now has the opportune time for my Ministry to revise these existing partnerships to use this platform to promote common shared goals for advancement in the Forestry Sector for us in the region. I am pleased to have this M.O.U signed as a means of showing that the Australian Government understands the Forestry Sector in Papua New Guinea and the reforms that the Marape-Rosso Government is placing on the sector to drive change and reshape the sector.
With these common shared values both countries have agreed to renew and maintain the close cooperation in the Forestry sector and greater efforts to increase the participation for technical capacity building and improve the standards in operation in the sector with even closer collaboration on addressing new and emerging issues arising between the Government agencies.
I believe reform is coming and change is inevitable for the sector when true working partnership and understanding is forged based from a common place of mutual respect on the challenges that the Forestry sector in each country faces. Some issues are common whilst some require greater collaborative effort to understand and address at the sector and regional level,
As such the M.O.U is a start of greater reforms for the Forest sector to come and therefore on behalf of the People of Papua New Guinea, the people of Angoram for whom I represent, the Forestry sector for which I am the Minister responsible and all the important stakeholders in the sector including the Marape-Rosso Government in general;
I am pleased to announce and present officially the M.O.U agreement signed to the Managing Director and the Management for PNG Forest Authority marking the renewal of our partnership with the Australian government for greater collaborative cooperation in the Forest Sector going forward.
