Well done PNG

Main Stories, National
Source:
The National,Thursday June 2nd, 2016

 By MALUM NALU
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill says the Africa Caribbean Pacific leaders’ summit was “fruitful”, as accolades poured in from the United Nations and heads of State for the country’s successful hosting of the event.
O’Neill said the country should be proud despite that short time it was given to host such a major international event.
“It is an honour and privilege for Papua New Guinea to be able to host this particular summit, despite the fact that we’ve done it in a very short period of time,” O’Neill said.
“The summit itself has been very fruitful, very insightful. And the decisions that we have taken today are responding to the challenges that the ACP Group has been facing for quite some time, in trying to reposition the ACP Group for future developments to benefit each of the member countries.”
UN resident coordinator Roy Trivedy said it could not have come at a better time for PNG and the ACP nations.
“Having the ACP meeting in Papua New Guinea is a great thing,” he said.
“We’ve got leaders from across all of the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries here. One-seventh of the world (population) is living in the ACP countries – one in seven people in the world.
“What the ACP does is showing leadership on some of these things surrounding the sustainable development goals which is very important.”
Trivedy thanked O’Neill, the ACP summit chairman, for taking a leading role as regards to sustainable development goals.
“We know that the world needs to accelerate progress on development,” he said.
O’Neill also commended the work of the ACP Council of Ministers for the work it had done.
“The leaders have deliberated on three major issues that are relevant to ACP in light of current global trends, particularly on political and economic trends that are being experienced globally,” he said.
“In particular, (these are) the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, and the Action Agenda on financing for development in our countries. The summit was a call to ratify and fully implement many of these international commitments, and we are able to report that the summit has endorsed that.
“This endorsement is key to achieving many of these sustainable developments for each of the member states, in particular as issues like peace and security.
“The leaders have agreed that there is a need for political stability, there is a need for peace and security, as a prerequisite for economic and social security and development for the states.
“Leaders have committed to a peaceful environment, and of course encourage solidarity between all the member states of the ACP Group.”
Heads of State, ministers and delegates from the 79 ACP member countries were in Port Moresby for the summit.