Govts to convene meeting

THE Bougainville Joint Consultative Body (JCB) meeting will convene in Arawa tomorrow co-chaired by Prime Minister James Marape and Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama.
The National Coordination Office for Bougainville Affairs director Dr Henry Okole said under the then Marape/Steven Government and now the Marape/Basil Government, the Government stood committed to fulfilling all its responsibilities in ensuring that the Bougainville Peace Agreement, as well as the referendum outcome, are respected in ensuring Bougainville’s aspirations are achieved.
“Despite the delays in convening the JCB meeting, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the political impasse at the national level, the State is now set for the meeting, with technical officials from both governments working to put together joint agenda of items to be discussed.”
Issues that will be discussed at the JCB are:

• Post-referendum joint inter-government consultation process framework;
• Bougainville Economic and Investment Summit;
• BCL shares;
• Fisheries;
• Taxation;
• National Government SME Funding;
• Foreign Missions Offices in Bougainville;
• Financial issues; and,
• Second Autonomy review and update of drawdown of remaining powers and functions.

A joint communique was signed between Toroama and Marape last month.