US, PNG sign deal for women in forestry

The National National
Deputy mission director for the Pacific Islands and Mongolia Betty Chung (Left) and Department of National Planning and Monitoring Secretary Koney Samuel (right) during the signing of the Implementation Letter of US$2.5 million (about K8.8 million) for Strengthening Women’s Equality and Empowerment in Forestry in Papua New Guinea. – Picture supplied

THE United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Papua New Guinea Department of National Planning and Monitoring have signed an implementation letter of US$2.5 million (about K8.8 million) for strengthening women’s equality and empowerment in forestry in Papua New Guinea.
The funding underscored the American people’s continued commitment to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific through the strengthening of US-Pacific partnerships for sustainable, prosperous, inclusive, secure and democratically empowered societies.
The Department of National Planning and Monitoring secretary Koney Samuel countersigned the implementation letter on behalf of the Government of Papua New Guinea.
The activity would enable women entrepreneurs to access supply chains and ecosystem service markets, develop women’s leadership in the forestry industry, and build women’s climate resilience.
Deputy mission director for the Pacific Islands and Mongolia Betty Chung said: “This US$2.5 million agreement represents the partnership between the US and PNG.”