Mayors from Islands region form secretariat

Papua

MAYORS in the Islands region have formed a secretariat to ensure common regional issues discussed are addressed at the national level.
Kavieng town mayor Stanley Mansini was voted as the chairman while Kokopo lord mayor Diuvia Kopman was voted as the vice.
The affiliation fee for each mayor and town manager is K10,000.
The registration fee for each member is K1500.
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville will host the Islands mayors’ conference next year.
This year’s conference in Kokopo has seen mayors and town managers agree on certain resolutions relating to common issues. They are to:

  • Conduct joint regional operation to stop the sale of counterfeit or fake goods in the region;
  • establish strong customary land acquisition policies for urban local level governments to address the sale of land to foreigners;
  • conduct combined eviction on illegal settlements within the region;
  • strengthen partnerships and establish dialogue;
  • conduct educational awareness;
  • conduct educational awareness to business partners on rules and regulations;
  • establish decentralised computerised systems in every provincial headquarters to effectively monitor foreigners; and,
  • Enforce different taxes for locals and foreigners.