By GABRIEL KATUHO
Gipson Gala is the first Papua New Guinean selected by Australian the Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) and Japan Foundation to join the AIIA Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network.
Mr Gala said he is the first Papua New Guinean to be selected for this program since its inception.
“I want to thank everyone who supported to ensure my profile stood out for its quality, insight, and clear commitment to strengthening cooperation and understanding across the Indo-Pacific region,” he told the Sunday Bulletin.
The Indo-Pacific Cooperation Network is designed to foster meaningful dialogue, professional exchange, and long-term collaboration among emerging and established leaders, researchers, and practitioners with an interest in regional affairs.
As a member of the Network, Mr Gala will have the opportunities to participate in AIIA and Japan Foundation–supported activities, engage with peers across the region, and contribute to discussions on key strategic, political, economic, and social issues shaping the Indo-Pacific.
He will be representing Papua New Guinea to join emerging leaders and practitioners from Indo-Pacific region for the tour in Japan, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.
“As an international and rural development practitioner with more than a decade of experience working in PNG and the Pacific region, I am looking forward to representing the country at these higher-level discussions,” he said.
Mr Gala holds senior roles with international organizations and served in various high impact roles across the Pacific region—focusing on high impact rural and international development projects.
“I hold a Master Degree in Disaster Risk Financing from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, where my dissertation examined the World Bank disaster and climate risk financing options for Pacific Island Countries, highlighting the value of risk layering and financial preparedness for climate related shocks,” he said.
Mr Gala was part of the team who worked with the government to access Papua New Guinea’s first World Bank Catastrophic-Drawdown Option financing instrument to assist policy reforms and build financial resilience system during emergencies and natural shocks.
He was also the Youth Representative of the Pacific Islands and was a winner of leadership award in New Zealand parliament in 2020.
With that vast experience and knowledge he is now ready to not only represent the country but to contribute meaningful to the higher level discussion.