Partners sign deal

 THE Madang Provincial Government in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Madang Civil Society Forum has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement the Madang provincial spatial planning project that will enable sustainable community resource management in the province.

The MoU, signed Monday in Madang, will provide a framework that sets our areas of cooperation to facilitate the processes and activities in developing the sustainable development and conservation plan for the province.

Madang MP Nixon Duban, who is also police minister, officiated at the ceremony that attracted Madang Governor Jim Kas, six district representatives, Kundiawa-Gembogl MP Tobias Kulang and other NGO partners.

The outcome of the spatial planning will assist the provincial government make wise decisions on planning, programming and implementation of sustainable community resource management, promote climate change adaptation and mitigation actions, promote village REDD+ models and ultimately implement the provincial sustainable development plan for the province over the next five years.

The deal will be reviewed anEvery year by the parties to ensure specific aims and expectations are met by all parties which will serve as the basis for the following year. The MOU ends in 2018.

The first of the four planning workshops under this MoU started yesterday at the Jais Aben Resort and is being coordinated by the Madang provincial government with support from The Nature Conservancy, USAID funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (Leaf) Program and partner NGO, Partners With Melanesians Inc.