UNDP hosts first National Environment and Climate Emergency Summit

PAPUA New Guinea’s forests are recognized as one of the most significant areas of intact tropical rainforest in the world, significant for their biodiversity, and important role in absorbing and storing greenhouse gases and regulating regional weather patterns.

Papua New Guinea’s first National Protected Areas Forum (2-3 June 2021), and first National Environment and Climate Emergency Summit (4 June) – to be held at Hilton Conference Centre, Port Moresby – are part of global efforts to highlight biodiversity and climate action on World Environment Day.

Both events are open to public and media via Zoom and via Facebook @UNDPinPNG and will focus on strengthening policies and their implementation to protect the country’s abundant natural assets and resources into the future to benefit all life and future generations.

Papua New Guinea’s first National Protected Areas Forum, led by the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) with support from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Papua New Guinea, will enable protected area practitioners, researchers, academics, private sector, donors, civil society, and local communities – who manage or support the country’s protected areas network -to share their experiences, insights and lessons learnt on factors impacting protected areas.

Environment and Climate Change

On Friday 4 June, the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Wera Mori supported by UNDP, will host a high-level Environment and Climate Emergency Summit. This landmark event will discuss PNG’s response to the global climate emergency and commitments towards the UN Biodiversity and Climate Conventions Conferences of the Parties scheduled later this year.

National initiatives that directly address biodiversity protection and resilience to the impacts of climate change will also be launched at the summit. High level participants, including the Prime  Minister, James Marape, international dignitaries, government, private sector, civil society, and other partners will be invited to consolidate national and international partnerships to build a platform for climate action and financing.

The summit will focus on climate change actions to support the 30 x 30 actions (30 climate actions by 2030) outlined in Papua New Guinea SDG 13 Climate Change Roadmap. The call to action guided by Papua New Guinea’s Enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the Pacific region, and globally.

The United Nations Development Programme in Papua New Guinea is implementing a national initiative that strengthens the management of terrestrial and marine protected areas. Supporting Government and local communities to expand the number and area of Protected Areas, Wildlife Management Areas, and Community Conserved Areas the initiative works to reverse decline of wildlife species, and degradation of natural ecosystems important to the country and local livelihoods.

World Environment Day is also the launch of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, that will bring the world together to reverse the damage to natural ecosystems.