UNDP officers meet Bougainville groups

By STEPHANIE ELIZAH
CIVIL society groups in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville yesterday met with officers from the United Nations Development Programme Energy and Environment and Climate Change programmes.
The meeting offered local stakeholders an opportunity to highlight the work they were doing in the region on environment and conservation.
It provided them the chance to raise issues related to their work and their concerns on climate change.
Some of the key challenges highlighted by the participants included:
l    Collaboration and partnership between civil society groups and Autonomous Bougainville Government;
l    Financial support granted directly to target communities;
l    Establishment of a coordination body like the Bougainville environment conservation and climate change office, whose role would be to establish an efficient network between all civil society groups, ABG and donors; and,
l    Documentation and data collection of what natural resources Bougainville has.
UNDP officer Robert Yen said their visit to Bougainville was in response to local stakeholders wanting to have their programmes supported.
Yen said the UNDP was willing to help
in facilitating partnership development and coordination between the civil society groups and the Autonomous Bougainville Government.
UNDP representatives had earlier this week met with ABG officials and had
identified areas in which all parties could
work together in supporting environmental conservation programmes and climate change issues.
Based on their findings, Yen said they would return next year and focus on working with local stakeholders and the ABG to develop a way forward for all parties.