Climate change funding signed

 A CABINET Minister says climate change is already affecting the economy and people’s livelihoods and any effort to build resilience needs immediate implementation.

Minister for Environment and Conservation and Climate Change John Pundari made this call during the signing of a $US27.25 million (K84.1 million) agreement between the Asian Development Bank and the Government  for projects aimed at building resilience to climate change in the country.

Pundari said PNG was exposed just like any other country in the Pacific and the global community to the impacts of climate change. 

“Climate change is real and we are living with it and it is going to affect our lives and we cannot deny that.” 

“Economic trends globally and nationally are affected by climate change.”

“The OK Tedi Mine was closed due to decrease in the level of Fly River caused by the El Nino and that has affected some of our national budgets.”

“One of the major constraints for state agencies to implement projects effectively is for donor agencies to trust the existing process and systems of governance that we have.”

“A classic example is that it took us four years to come to sign this agreement.” 

“It would have been very nice, if we have signed this four years ago.”

“Why four years, is it because the officials of the Department of Treasury are brainless, or is it because the officers of the Office of Climate Change and Development are brainless that they cannot be able to write it out well,” he said.

Pundari said donor agencies must have confidence in  establishing systems and processes administered by the state agencies because they were effective and efficient to deliver tangible outcomes on the ground.