Papua New Guinea (PNG) won’t follow the lead of Tuvalu, which yesterday secured an agreement with Australia to take up to 280 immigrants from the tiny Pacific island each year as sea levels rise. Instead, its prime minister has called on Pacific nations to take direct action to combat its effects.
Speaking at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, James Marape told member countries that PNG did not want to talk about climate migration.
“Instead, we must focus on rebuilding our islands through land reclamation and desalination efforts,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of resilience, sustainability, and integrated development, saying that the alternative meant “abandoning our heritage.”
He said the theme of this year’s Forum, “A Transformed and Resilient Pasifika: Building Better Now,” resonated strongly with his vision for the Pacific.
“In an increasingly crowded and complex global environment, where various state and non-state actors are intensifying their engagement with our region, it is crucial for the Pacific to maintain leadership and ownership of our regional mechanisms,” he said.
Marine Resources a Key to Development
He highlighted the economic potential of the Pacific’s marine resources, advocating that countries in the region shift from relying on external aid to developing sustainable economic resources to achieve a degree of resilience.“Economic resilience is the key to achieving our region’s aspirations. We must move beyond the traditional dependence on aid and grants and focus on ‘aid for trade.’ We need our development partners to invest in adding value to our fisheries and marine resources,” Marape said.
PNG had already begun maximising the benefits of its marine resources through the work of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in implementing the East New Britain Initiative (ENBi).
Launched last year and proposed by PNG, the ENBi brings all FFA member countries together to pursue opportunities for tuna fishing in the region.
Part of the plan is establishing and operating fisheries as “hubs and spokes” in different countries. These hubs, which could be created in larger countries such as the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji, would serve as central processing centres for tuna.
Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands, and other small atoll countries in the regions would supply the regional plants with fish, allowing for increased efficiency and profitability.
A study is also underway into a proposal to establish a regional fisheries development fund.
The Pacific supplies about 60 percent of the world’s tuna catch.
“My government, through the National Fisheries Authority, has initiated significant reforms aimed at transforming Papua New Guinea’s fisheries sector into a globally competitive, diversified, and value-adding industry,” Marape told the Forum.
“These efforts will also enhance domestic market obligations and ensure food security.”
He invited other Pacific island countries to use land in PNG to establish fisheries canneries and export finished products under their own brands.
“This initiative can be expanded to other sectors such as forestry, tourism, energy, and security, requiring cooperative approaches by our member countries and the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP),” Marape said.
While in Tonga, Marape has held bilateral meetings with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Singapore’s Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education, Maliki Osman.
PNG and Fiji are progressing arrangements on defence cooperation, trade, and investment. Both are building diplomatic missions in each other’s countries.
