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OCC&ES undertakes stakeholder consultation
By
MACKHENLY KAIOK of OTML Media THE Office of Climate Change and Environment Sustainability (OCC&ES) has been tasked to undergo a compressive consultation process with key stakeholders throughout the country to develop the National Climate Change Plan. This Plan will also be used as an input for the creation of the National Climate Change legislation. These stakeholders should include the Governors and their respective Provincial Governments, Non Government Organisation, Women's Groups etc. It must also include other Government Departments and statutory bodies whose operations deal with areas that affect climate change. OCC&ES Executive Director Dr Theo Yasause in issuing the task on Friday said that climate change is a new challenge facing humanity thus it is important to involve the stakeholders to come up with a climate change policy. The policy will be regularly monitored and evaluated for effectiveness. It will be further re-worked if necessary. He said that climate change is a global problem that can only be addressed through international partnership. At this point, funding to address climate change threats will come primarily from the international community. Therefore the OCC&ES intends to build confidence with all the international and domestic stake holders by creating a participatory and transparent process to receive, manage and disburse climate change funding. Dr Yasause also clarified that the OCC&ES has not issued any licenses whatsoever. Rather the OCC&ES has only required interested parties to register. Meanwhile Dr Yasause said that work on drafting a PNG climate change Bill is underway and when sufficiently developed, would be circulated to all sectors of the economy for consideration and comment to ensure that all issues are adequately dealt with within the proposed legislative framework. "Considering the government approach needed to address climate change, many countries are now in the process of developing specific climate change legislative including a consultative mechanism. And the OCC&ES would began consultations with other nations currently developing climate change legislative and prepare draft legislation for consideration by the cabinet. So far a taskforce has been set up last month to address climate change issues in PNG. It comprises officials from the National Forest Authority (NFA), PNG Power and University of PNG, OCC&ES, as well as those from the Departments of Environment and Conservation Agriculture, Provincial and Local Level Government, Foreign Affairs, Mining and Petroleum, and representatives from some NGOs. |
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