U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Catherine Ebert-Gray attended a ceremony where the United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assisted in the creation of a public-private partnership, formalized today, between the CCDA of the Government of Papua New Guinea and Oil Search Limited. The goal of this partnership, the first formal public-private partnership of the CCDA, is to assess the impact of climatic changes and to establish programs to create a more resilient future for the people of Papua New Guinea.
Marking their shared commitment, U.S. Ambassador Catherine Ebert-Gray witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Honourable John Pundari and the Managing Director of Oil Search Limited, Mr. Peter Botten.
“The American people know firsthand that environmental and community challenges are best addressed when the private sector works hand in hand with governing bodies, and when governing bodies benefit from the research and knowledge of respected commercial stakeholders. By working together, to address climate and disaster disruptions, we are building the resilience and improving the lives of the people of Papua New Guinea. This is a testament to the their leadership, leadership shown by both the Government and Private Sector of Papua New Guinea which is focused on identifying direct results, and creating an inclusive sustainable economic model for the Pacific,” said Ambassador Ebert-Gray.
USAID, through its five-year Ready project has been working in Papua New Guinea since 2016 to provide technical assistance to CCDA. USAID’s assistance enabled CCDA to apply for and receive nearly two million Kina to date from the Green Climate Fund to strengthen their role as the country’s lead agency in coordinating adaptation programs and having direct access to climate finance.
In addition, USAID supported the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s Melanesian Subregional Private Sector Workshop. Through this workshop and the work that followed, CCDA and Oil Search Limited have established CCDA’s first-ever public-private partnership on disaster resilience, paving the way for more private sector investment in local projects that build community resilience.