Participants told to ask organisers more questions

MOROBE deputy administrator Masayan Moat wants participants in the second round of the regional consultation on Green Climate Fund (GCF) in Lae to make discussions more interactive by asking organisers more questions.
He said understanding issues more would create an informed audience, adding that the challenge the provincial government had in getting the right information down to its 33 LLGs and 575 wards in the province.
Moat said the provincial government representatives attending had a challenge to represent their people and contribute meaningfully to the discussions or objectives of the workshop.
More than 50 participants are attending the workshop from four provincial administrations of Morobe, Madang, East and West Sepik, the private sector, non-government organisations, CBOs and individuals.
Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) managing director Ruel Yamuna in re-iterating on Moat’s call gave an example of what was raised at the Highlands workshop: “That local communities could see and feel what was happening but did not know what the issue was – not understanding what climate change is.
“There is a need for interaction, that’s why we are here to listen to you, understand where your priorities are in your respective provinces, regions.
“We are supported by our development and delivery partners from the Global Green Growth Institute, United Nations Development Programme, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the USAID Climate Ready.”
Yamuna said his officers from the CCDA would present to them the funding mechanism that was established to help developing countries impacted by climate change by the international community – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Green Climate Fund is a financing mechanism of UNFCCC and is specifically established to provide financial support to countries like PNG, most vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change.
Adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change remains a high priority and this is guided and supported by PNG’s overall country policies and strategies such as the Vision 2050, the national strategy for Responsible Sustainable Development for PNG, Climate Change (management) Act and the National Climate Compatible Development Management Policy.
The GCF can also provide financial support to PNG by channelling funds to green projects and programmes identified in the PNG country programme, which is yet to be developed through the first GCF-funded climate readiness proposal.
The workshop ends today.