Soso on Aust trip to learn to lift EHP

 PEOPLE in Eastern Highlands have been urged to work in partnership to implement government policies and programmes in the province.

Governor Julie Soso, who left the country yesterday on a parliamentary visit to Australia, said she hoped to build and strengthen the capacity of the local level governments in her province.

“People must work with the government and take ownership so that development will take place,” she said in a statement. 

“Through this visit I hope to establish a partnership and build relations with the Australian government through the AusAID programmes to empower capacity building in the province, alleviate poverty, to address HIV/AIDS awareness, maternal health and law and order issues.

“Let the community take the lead and there must awareness and people must be educated to maintain the services and properly maintain the facilities that the government provide in good condition. 

“I want Eastern Highlands to be a role model in the bottom up planning process.”

The governor added that her week-long visit to Australia was at the invitation of Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr, which had been pending since September last year. 

In Canberra, Soso will give a talk to students at the Australian National University on gender issues, especially on violence against women the Eastern Highlands experience.

She will make a courtesy call to the Australian governor-general and the foreign secretary for Pacific Island Affairs before moving to Sydney to meet with some non-governmental organisations to discuss issues relating to violence against women.