OCCD signs MoU with church

THE Office of Climate Change and Development has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seventh-Day Adventist church to drive climate change initiatives.
The signing took place last month at the church’s head office in Lae.
The purpose of the agreement is to foster collaboration with the government through the OCCD and its stakeholders with Seventh-Day churches and communities in helping Papua New Guinea drive its climate change initiatives forward through education and awareness.
Speaking on behalf of the OCCD executive secretary Dr Wari Iamo, director of adaptation Varigini Badira said the office was pleased and excited with the MoU signed with the SDA Union.
“It is good to see that the SDA Union has shown its Christian and humanitarian obligation by taking measures in addressing climate change,” he saidThis MoU covers educational institutions under the SDA Union such as the Pacific Adventist University in Port Moresby and Sonoma in the East New Britain.
Badira said with the extensive institutional network the SDA had, it would play a big part in dissemination and awareness of climate change initiatives.
He said churches had always contributed to development in rural areas and the partnership between the church and government was important to prepare people for climate change hazards and mitigation.
SDA Union president Leigh Rice said this was a good initiative that provided a way forward for the government to collaborate with churches in climate change awareness.
“We, as human beings, have a role in creation whereby we are custodians of the environment that God has blessed us with,” he said.
Rice said there was a need to do more work and awareness on mitigating disaster-related problems and that such an understanding between the government and the church would foster a good working relationship, “allowing all stakeholders to be involved in climate change education and awareness”.