Kerebi DAVID

Today marked the final day of the 2023 Papua New Guinea Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange. The joint exercise, co-hosted by USA and PNG at the request of the government of PNG, built on the capabilities of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and National Disaster Center to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster. Working together hand-in-hand, experts from Papua New Guinea, the United States, and the United Nations used a scenario-based table-top exercise to evaluate and implement the national disaster response framework. Major General Reginald Neal, Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Pacific arrived in Port Moresby to meet with PNDGF officials and take part in the closing ceremony. He thanked the PNGDF for their hospitality during past military-to-military events such as Koa Moana which began in 2016, Naval Mobile Construction Battalions construction on the PNGDF maritime base, HMPNGS Tarangau in Manus, which began in 2020, and Tamiok Strike which began in 2022. The team also highlighted that U.S. support for the PNDGF aims to promote a safe, stable, and secure PNG. At the event, Major John Cole of the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation said, “We are grateful for the partnership we share with the people of Papua New Guinea which began in WWII.” “My own grandfather parachuted into Markham Valley, so this partnership has special significance for me.” “The U.S. Embassy wants PNG to prosper, and peace is the key to prosperity. Through the Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange and other programs that the PNGDF requested, we hope to support stability for all Papua New Guineans.” The scenario first presented a simple natural disaster, but over the course of the exercise, evolved into a complex event with different provinces facing unique challenges. Distinguished visitors from the Papua New Guinea Defence Forces, the National Disaster Center, the United Nations Resident Coordinator's office, the United States Army Pacific, and Wisconsin National Guard supported the exercise to maintain a safe, stable, and secure PNG for future generations. The goal of this partnered event is a strong Papua New Guinea that can respond to an emergency by leveraging shared best practices, interoperability, and partnerships to assist affected communities. This DREE highlighted the relationship between United States and Papua New Guinea, and their commitment to the safety and resilience of Papua New Guinea. Of historical note, the 32nd Infantry Division of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guards, called the Red Arrow Division, was one of the first infantry divisions to engage in combat in WWII. Much of their 654 days of combat throughout WWII was conducted in Papua New Guinea

At the invitation of the Government of Papua New Guinea, the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and the U.S. Army co-hosted a Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange (DREE) in Port Moresby June 26 – 30 to share best practices on disaster response with key stakeholders across PNG. Disasters can strike unexpectedly, causing significant damage to communities, infrastructure, and human lives. In the face of such challenges, a well-prepared and knowledgeable response is critical to recovery. Recognizing the need for comprehensive disaster response preparation, the PNGDF and U.S. Army Pacific curated a five-day seminar that brings together academics, community leaders, and disaster response professionals. The DREE featured in-depth academic discussions on a variety of topics, followed by a tabletop exercise simulating a realistic disaster scenario to enhance practical skills and decision-making abilities. The 2023 Papua New Guinea Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange builds on the capabilities of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and other government agencies to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster. Working together, experts from Papua New Guinea, the United States, and the United Nations used a scenario-based table-top exercise to evaluate and improve the national disaster response framework. The goal of this partnered event is a strong Papua New Guinea that can respond to an emergency by leveraging shared best practices, interoperability, and partnerships to assist affected communities. The DREE highlights the relationship between United States and Papua New Guinea, and their commitment to the safety and resilience of Papua New Guinea. This event was facilitated by the U.S. government at the request of the government of Papua New Guinea. Personnel came to PNG from Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s State Partner the Wisconsin National Guard, Wisconsin Disaster Management, the Institute for Security Governance, and the Center for Excellence of Disaster Management. Representatives from UNDP and IOM are scheduled to attend as well. “We are excited to facilitate this unique seminar, bringing together practical expertise and the PNGDF together”, said Corporal Louie Kaman, a PNG-American Soldier. “By combining the resources of the PNGDF and PNG government with the disaster response community, we can find better ways to support PNG in times of crisis.” Leaders of the Wisconsin National Guard and Papua New Guinea signed a State Partnership Program agreement December 2, 2022. The State Partnership Program between Papua New Guinea and the Wisconsin National Guard officially began in 2020, but COVID-19 travel restrictions delayed the formal signing ceremony until 2022. Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp of the Wisconsin National Guard and Maj. Gen. Mark Goina of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force signed the partnership agreement in Papua New Guinea, and all future activities will be mutually agreed upon and arranged at the request of the government of Papua New Guinea.

“Kidnapping is not our culture or tradition.” “They kidnapped, held these helpless girls as captives and hostages and then raped them, used sexual violence as weapon and then they ask for ransom again, K40,000 and 10 pigs.” That is from Ms Ruth J Kissam, Chair for Advance PNG –Women Leaders Network. Kissam in a conference this week expressed disappointment and grievance on the recent kidnapping of the 17 girls in Mt Bosavi. She described the ordeal as an act of animal by men who are sick in their heads. Ms Kissam further told PNG HAUSBUNG that amongst the 17 hostages was a young mother who was also taken along with her infant baby whom she could not leave behind, and it was so sad to find out that she was also raped while clinging on to her little baby. “This is happening at their home, the place where you think is safe.” This incident and many other isolated incidents have not been reported, not being heard of is happening everywhere in the country to the women and girls said Ms Kissam. She added that abuse, sexual violence, and rape is also happening in the National Capital District where there are so many police stations, so many police personals and vehicles, yet women and girls are raped in broad day light in NCD. “This disease is nationwide, 55% of our population are broken, and 55% can never step one foot outside of their doors without looking around, always in fear”. Kissam further added that we as a country can never say that we are thriving and we are doing this good, when women and girls are abused, violated, and traumatised in this country. “We are calling on the Prime Minister to prioritize Law and Order, it’s happening in your back yard and its being happening for a very long time to your women and girls.” Kissam emphasized that because Papua New Guinea is also the Prime Minister’s backyard, and the women and children of this country have been broken, abused, raped and held for ransom by domestic terrorists; he must do something about this law-and-order situation, or not have a country to rule. Kissam further called on the Police Minister to come out clearly and make a statement on how this is being handled, and how the Minister is planning on empowering the police men on ground in Hela to carry out their duties. “Let’s put a stop to all the other deals that the government is doing that is not bringing any safety to the women and girls of this country and for the next 6 months let us focus on tackling the law-and-order issue in the country and bring back peace and safety.”

The people of the Abau district in the Central province continue to face challenges traveling to Port Moresby city to do business or just to visit, because their portion of the Magi Highway is in a very poor state. Mr. Ila Pat Ila’ava, a Ward 4 Council Member in the Aroma Coast Local Level Government (LLG), said that the Magi Highway portion that leads into Abau district after the Motuan Coastline, is only sealed up to Imila village and then right after the Imila bridge there is endless dirt road all the way to Kupiano station and further more to Moreguina. He said this poor road condition continues to affect the local commercial activities because fresh produce and fish brought in to sell in the nation’s capital, are returned, get spoilt and wasted because of the poor road condition or flooding on the road caused by the heavy rains during the wet season. “The villagers sell their produce and catch to buy basic necessities that they need, they sell to support their kids who go to school and they cannot afford to waste their hard labour because our roads are in very bad situation,” said Mr. Ila’ava. “Local farmers who bring their produces to sell in the nation’s capital often go home almost empty handed because most of their takings go to PMV fares and this is very sad.” Mr. Ila’ava also revealed that parts of the road that have been sealed before, have not been upgraded and as a result, there are pot- holes everywhere and the contractors only come in to patch-up those holes and nothing more. “We do not need to travel miles to come to a town and catch a plane to come to Port Moresby, we are just 3 to 4 hours outside of the city, yet we feel like we are so far away.” Rides into the city are always bumpy and long, sometimes passengers had to pull out bogged down PMVs or private vehicles when road conditions get worse during rain. As a result of this, PMV fares have gone up because PMV owners need to constantly service their vehicle, and this is harshly affecting the poor farmers who often bring their produce into the city to sell. Mr. Ila’ava claimed that this situation has been like this for the last 20 years or so, and something needs to be done about the roads as soon as possible. He further stated that their local Member of Parliament Sir Puka Temu, who is now in his 5th term in parliament, has to be serious in doing something about this situation because it is costly and it is affecting the lives of everyone in his electorate of Abau.

The Mt. Bosavi area is notorious for a lot of crime being committed, especially against women and girls like the recent kidnapping of school girls, and the reason for that is that there is no real police presence on ground to deter crime and uphold basic law and order. Mrs. Anne Hewago, the Nipa Kutubu Women's Council President said there is a need for police stations to be put in the area that borders three provinces; Hela, Southern Highlands and Western provinces. She said that because there is no police presence on ground, there is basically no police officers there to protect the women and girls, and the recent kidnapping of the 17 school girls in Mt Bosavi, is a big wakeup call to the state to at least have police officers stationed there. Mrs. Hewago gave an insight to the kidnapping of the 17 school girls stating that the 3 youngest were just 12 years old, and the rest were under the age or 16. “As a mother my heart aches with so much pain because I have daughters and to hear about this crime, I feel sick.” "Some of them are minor, they are innocent victims of an indescribable inhuman act." "This is not the first time, there are many unreported cases and stories and the government need to address this law-and-order issue now or it will happen again in another village to other innocent girls, not only in Bosavi, but places where there is no police presence." Mrs. Hewago added that these gun men kidnapped because of money and they will do it again. “They will attack again when the money they received runs out and this boils down to show that they have no fear, they are not afraid to attack again because they know that there is no law on the ground.” She further added that Bosavi needs a police station as soon as possible, and more police recruitments must be done so that police stations are built and more police men are deployed to places like Bosavi, and Hela province especially. “However, with police recruitment and training, it will take long and kidnapping will not stop, but there is one way we can help these people and that is through Community Policing, while we wait for the government.” "We have very young strong men in the villages, what they need are basic training for community policing so that these men can uphold law and order in their respective society.” “These men can protect the innocent and this must be promoted and encouraged so that the government of the day must beef up police personnel in each district and provinces through community policing." It’s not only that, she said even the health service into the area has been affected because of these criminals going around doing whatever they want. Mothers with complications during birth cannot go to the nearest referral hospital for help, health staff and even ambulance services are at risk of going into the area. “Because of law-and-order problems, government services to remote areas like Bosavi will decline or will not reach the people,” she said. "Law and order problem will cause public servants to pack up and leave and then many innocent lives will be at risk because they will not get basic services for health and safety". She is now appealing to the respective stakeholders, government and responsible authorities to recognize law and order issue as the paramount issue and give priority to address this now in the society before any other services.

The young men and women of Western Province can expect to continue their education through distance learning centers, technical colleges and universities, all thanks to the scholarship program being continuously funded through the partnership between CMCA Trust, the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) and Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML). OTDF, in partnership with OTML and CMCA Trusts, since 2015 has provided educational opportunities to students from the Preferred Area (Oksapmin, Telefomin, Olsobip) and Western Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Apart from other disciplines, priority is given to health, education, and agriculture. Every year over 300 students who meet the requirements are sponsored to take up studies, with an average of 100 students graduating. The focus on the selection and support is not on the quantity (number of sponsored students) but the quality in the selected disciplines. According to the Manager Program Services Sustainable Development, Mr. Andrew Mari, the Scholarship program has relieved the burden on parents and provided the opportunity for students to further their education, return and contribute to the development of the province and their communities. Higher education has enabled graduates to engage in formal employment throughout Western Province and the country. In 2020, the demand for scholarship positions increased due to raised program awareness. However, there was a slight decrease in scholarship positions due to more stringent selection criteria, with scholarships only awarded to students achieving a minimum 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA). Havini Vira, CEO OTDF, expressed appreciation for the well-managed Scholarship and Maritime support program. However, he acknowledged that effectively monitoring the progress of students after they graduate poses a challenge and believes there is scope for further improvement. 2, 585 Western Province and PAD students have been sponsored by OTDF through the CMCA Trusts and OTML since 2019. OTDF is committed to contribute to the development of human resource of Western Province and PNG.

Many families affected by the recent floods in the Aroma Coast of Abau District, Central Province has raised concerns and dissatisfaction on how the relief supplies were distributed to individual families as well as dissatisfaction on the amount of relief food supplies provided to them. The Ward Member for Ward 2, Mr. Ila Pat Ila’ava, said that 4 wards in the Aroma Local Level Government (LLG) that where affected have jointly expressed disappointment on how the disaster relief supplies were not equally distributed among the households. “K60, 000 was given as disaster relief fund from the district to Aroma Coast llg, and these funds were used to purchase food supplies,” said Ila. “Sadly this money was not enough for the 4 wards, because if lucky, one family got a packet of rice, noodles or an EM Nau biscuit for one person.” Ila stated that this is very disappointing because the supplies was not enough, and this was due to the fact that there was no disaster officer on ground to make proper assessment of the situation. “There was no disaster officer from the district or the provincial disaster offices and I do not know where and how they got their data from to send such relief supplies.” “The disaster fund was K60, 000 but the food supplies bought were estimated about K2, 000 or less for each ward in Aroma.” Ila added that the disaster office has to come clear about where the rest of the funds had gone to. He further added that, most classrooms were under water because they were built on ground level, some live stocks were washed away and others moved to higher ground, but sadly all gardens were under water. Sections of the roads were under water, culverts were washed away and bridges damaged, thus affecting transportation of food supplies to the trade store, cutting of fuel and medical supplies as well. “This is not a new situation, every year around the wet season time, this is expected and the disaster office needs to be on its feet to address this.” “You cannot just seat in the office and call ward Councilors to go pick up relief supplies, this is not how the officer works.” Ila is now calling on the district and provincial disaster office to do its jobs correctly and every time a disaster occurs, disaster officers must be present on the ground to assess the situation, collect appropriate and accurate data then send adequate relief supplies to the disaster victims.

Prime Minister James Marape, MP, has extended an invitation to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to form a partnership with districts facing armed conflict hotspots. The objective is to mitigate armed conflicts and transform the approach to addressing and resolving issues within affected communities. During a briefing with His Excellency Georgia Georgantas, Head of Mission for the ICRC in Papua New Guinea on Monday, June 20, 2023, Prime Minister Marape extended the invitation. The Prime Minister gained insight into the ICRC's international mandate, which focuses on assisting individuals impacted by armed conflict. Mr. Georgantas informed Prime Minister Marape that their specific focus within the country is supporting those affected by tribal conflicts. They have identified conflict hotspots, particularly in the Highlands region. In the event of a conflict, they assess the damages and casualties before providing suitable assistance. With offices located in Port Moresby, Mt. Hagen, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, the ICRC operates on multiple fronts. The Mt. Hagen office assists vulnerable individuals affected by tribal conflicts, while the team in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville aids in the recovery of missing persons from the Special Region. Mr Georgantas also mentioned that the recognition and ratification of the organisation by Parliament are crucial for expanding their work and acquiring additional assistance. Prime Minister James Marape expressed gratitude for the ICRC's work in the country and extended an invitation to collaborate with districts and churches. Emphasizing the importance of working with churches, he stressed the need to eliminate political interference to ensure effective assistance to those impacted by armed conflict. The Prime Minister further urged the ICRC to establish offices within his electorate. Given that his Tari-Pori electorate serves as the sole service center in Hela Province, it attracts individuals affected by tribal conflicts from neighboring provinces seeking services such as policing and healthcare. Furthermore, Prime Minister Marape proposed leveraging the Hope Institute, which supports women and children affected by violence, as a platform for collaboration with churches and the ICRC in Hela. Addressing the long-lasting trauma experienced by individuals affected by tribal conflicts, the Prime Minister emphasized the necessity of providing support and resources for essential counseling services. These services would focus on surviving armed conflicts and facilitating the reintegration of affected individuals into society. In addition, Prime Minister Marape offered to send church workers to receive conflict resolution training from the ICRC office in Mt. Hagen. Equipped with this training, these individuals can help resolve disputes amicably and peacefully, avoiding resorting to violence. Reiterating his previous statements, Prime Minister Marape condemned armed fighting as an ineffective means of addressing grievances. "There is no excuse for violence, and we do not condone it.” “Our traditions and cultures should not be used as a basis for propagating violence within society.” “We strive to eradicate violence from our communities." Prime Minister Marape concluded the meeting by expressing gratitude to the ICRC for their work in the country. He assured Mr Georgantas that he would personally present their letter to Parliament for ratification during the August 2023 session.

Without any road access, the farmers in Mt Bosavi region have been struggling to sell their produce to the outside market. Mr Andrew Awabi, Chairman for Mt Bosavi Sustainable Agriculture Development Initiative (SADI) told PNG HAUSBUNG that Mt Bosavi SADI has being carrying out Community Livelihood projects on sustainable Agriculture and development projects to the communities. As a result of much training and awareness, people of Bosavi have being doing large scale farming, both for commercial and sustainable purpose. “Sustainable farming has helped our people here but sadly the commercial crops are very hard to get out of the region to markets.” “People of Bosavi are doing large scale farming; there are big quantities of quality produce that needs to find its way to the market.” Awabi said that the farmers have being doing large scale farming with potatoes, Vanilla, turmeric, curry, vegetables, and they have even tapped into fish and crocodile farming but sadly with no road access all this produce will go to waste. “We need help to get all these produce to markets, therefore we are calling on the Fresh Produce Development Agency, Dept of Agriculture and Livestock as well as the Provincial Government to come to our aid and create a way for us to export our produce out of Bosavi to any nearest market or help find us a market where we can become their point of supply.” Awabi added that the Bosavi LLG must give assistance to the Framers of Bosavi too. Mt Bosavi SADI is looking at Making Mt Bosavi area the next major fresh produce zone and supplier to markets in the country and to export and we can only achieve this with help from the Provincial and National government and partners.

The Prime Minister’s 2023 Corporate Golf Challenge (PMCGC) will be staged in Lae, on the 7th of July and in Port Moresby on the 22nd of September respectively. With the Golf challenge coming up soon registration is now open to field teams for the Prime Minister’s 2023 Corporate Golf Challenge (PMCGC). The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee is now calling on organisations from both the public and private sector to register team (s) to support the annual Team PNG fundraising event. Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee Secretary General Auvita Rapilla is encouraging the business community in Lae and Port Moresby, and also around the country to come on board and support Team PNG by registering teams to participate in this worthwhile event. “All funds raised will go towards Team PNG’s participation at the Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands in November 2023”. The Corporate Golf Challenge patronised by the Prime Minister, is a major fundraiser by the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee to support the country’s elite athletes selected for international representative sporting duties under the Team PNG banner to the Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. Rapilla added that their motto is to believe; excel and inspire generations’ to be involved in, as well as excel in sports. “With registrations now open, we welcome all organisations to take part and support our national team, Team PNG as we aim to inspire young Papua New Guineans who will be following the journey of our elite athletes at these upcoming games.” Chairman of Fundraising Committee Michael Henao again acknowledged the continued patronage of the event’s major sponsor The National and supporting sponsors Ela Motors, Theodist, Brian Bell Group, Trophy Haus, SP Brewery, Coca-Cola Euro Pacific and Media Partners. “As partners of the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee, you are important stakeholders that provide significant support to achieve the goals and objectives of Team PNG”

Air Niugini is saddened by the untimely passing of their Chairman, Sir Kostas Constantinou, OBE. Sir Kostas who was 66 years old died on Saturday afternoon, leaving behind an indelible legacy at Air Niugini. Sir Kostas served as Chairman of Air Niugini for the last five years, until his death and during those times, Sir Kostas presided over numerous initiatives that positioned Air Niugini as a symbol of excellence and reliability in Papua New Guinea and beyond. His strategic vision, coupled with a profound understanding of ‘doing business in PNG’, steered the airlin through challenging times. Times such especially the covid pandemic in 2020 through 2021 – which decimated the airline industry, and the 2018 aircraft incident at Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. Air Niugini is acutely aware of the abundant time and energy Sir Kostas expended across multiple industries – from banking to oil and gas. His influence and vision have been of benefit to Air Niugini, and we now continue to progress our turnaround, building a more sustainable, reliable, and accessible airline for the advancement of the citizens of Papua New Guinea. Beyond his professional achievements, Sir Kostas was known for his kindness, humility, and deep commitment to the people of Papua New Guinea. He was a philanthropist at heart, supporting numerous charitable causes and initiatives aimed at improving the lives of those less fortunate. On behalf of the management and staff of Air Niugini, our deepest sympathies are extended to the family of Sir Kostas, including his children Constantia, Andrea, George and Theo. During this difficult time, we request that the privacy of Sir Kostas' family be respected. Air Niugini will provide support and assistance to his family in their time of grief, and we will ensure that his memory is honoured in a befitting manner. The loss of Sir Kostas is felt deeply by everyone at Air Niugini, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his friends and colleagues particularly those in his personal businesses within the Constantinou Group, who have lost a remarkable individual. Sir Kostas' exceptional legacy and his passion for aviation will continue to inspire and guide us as we navigate the future of Air Niugini. Air Niugini remains fully committed to maintaining its operations and striving to deliver outstanding service to our valued customers. The Board of Directors, together with the executive team, is dedicated to continuing Sir Kostas’ vision and ensuring a seamless transition in leadership. Sir Kostas will forever remain an integral part of Air Niugini's history, and his remarkable legacy will endure. We are grateful for his profound contributions and the immense impact he had on our airline and the wider aviation industry. The entire Air Niugini family mourns his loss, and we will honour his memory by upholding the principles he held dear. Minister for State Enterprises William Duma LLB LLM CMG MP stated that Sir Kostas was a capable, experienced, intuitive Chairman and brought substantial gravitas to the Board of Directors of Air Niugini. “I know his presence will be sadly missed. Air Niugini is in a period of restructuring and fleet replacement; with Sir Kostas’ death, I will ensure that appropriate support is provided to the company.” Meanwhile, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Gary Seddon said, “The Chairman was well known amongst the staff of Air Niugini, across our network. To many of them, this news will be difficult to reconcile. To help us all through this time of grief, we must celebrate the achievements and remember the legacy of the life of the man that was lived.”

Following the release of the International Atomic Energy Agency (iAEA) report and the independent analysis that it presents, Prime Minister, James Marape has extended Papua New Guinea’s consent for the controlled release of treated water from the power station that was destroyed by the tsunami that followed the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Minister for Fisheries & Marine Resources, Jelta Wong has confirmed that the National Fisheries Authority has also reviewed the international Atomic Energy Agency (iAEA) Review of Safety Related Aspects of Handling ALPS Treated Water at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan. “Prime Minister and I have raised concerns with Japan’s Prime Minister, and other agencies, that the release of the water could harm regional fisheries so we sought independent analysis of scientific data,” Minister Wong said. “Any discussion on nuclear material will always spark heated debate, so it is important that we approach the issue with caution and have full view of the facts.” Minister Wong said the Government of Japan has taken our concerns seriously and promised Pacific island Nations that we will have the full technical information for our consideration. “Papua New Guinea has taken a very cautious approach and initially opposed the release of the water without independent analysis of scientific data by third party laboratories.” “The iAEA review has now provided the technical data that the Prime Minister and I have been waiting to receive.” Wong added that from the information contained in the iAEA report, we have confidence that this treated water meets globally accepted standards and will not harm regional fisheries. “As stated by the Prime Minister, PNG is satisfied with the technical information that has been released by the iAEA and the Government of Japan.” “We agree that the controlled release can proceed so long as there is ongoing testing and independent analysis, and if there is any increase in risk, that further water release will be stopped immediately.” Wong highlighted that the there will be a long an ongoing monitoring which will include additional analysis report on base line on environmental samples taken water around where the treated waters being release is being treated . In the development of the report, the IAES oversaw the collection of the treated water samples taken from the Advanced Liquid Processing System treated water expected to be released and comparisons of the data from the samples taken of the treated water were undertaken by third –party laboratories that are members of the Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environment Radioactivity (ALMERA). “Testing of the treated water samples was done in laboratories in Switzerland, France, and United States of America as well as a laboratory in the Republic of Korea.” Minister Wong confirmed that Papua New Guinea will continue to consult with partners, including other Pacific Island Nations and Japan as well as the IAEA on what is now a serious matter in the Pacific region. “We are all custodians of the resources of our oceans and seas that are not only the source of our livelihoods but rather our home today and for our generations to come.”