{"id":67954,"date":"2025-09-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/un-chief-hails-remarkable-example-of-papua-new-guinea-as-he-concludes-historic-trip-2\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T12:00:00","slug":"un-chief-hails-remarkable-example-of-papua-new-guinea-as-he-concludes-historic-trip-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=67954","title":{"rendered":"UN chief hails \u2018remarkable example\u2019 of Papua New Guinea as he concludes historic trip"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Flanked by the country\u2019s Prime Minister, James Marape, Mr. Guterres echoed\u00a0comments he made during a speech in the national parliament on Wednesday, in which he described Papua New Guineans as \u201cchampions of multilateralism and international solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Secretary-General noted that, in a world where \u201cwe see democratic values being put into question,\u201d the country \u2013 where some 800 languages are spoken \u2013 retains a preference for solving problems peaceably through dialogue.<\/p>\n

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Ryan Hawk\/Woodland Park Zoo<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Papua New Guinea’s rainforest (file)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Time for climate justice\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The climate crisis has been high on the agenda throughout the visit, with Mr. Guterres leaving the capital to visit a rainforest region and discuss the problems caused by the changing climate with civil society representatives.<\/p>\n

Addressing the media in Port Moresby, the UN chief expressed gratitude and solidarity with Papua New Guineans, for how they are addressing an existential challenge not of their own making.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapua New Guinea does not contribute to climate change,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cPapua New Guinea has a negative emissions record, due to an enormous carbon sink: the admirable forests of this country and the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said it was time for the international community to recognise that countries like Papua New Guinea deserve climate justice and support to build resilience against the \u201cdevastating impact of climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Papuan\n<\/div>\n

Papuan conservationist Alfred Masul is replanting mangrove trees to build resilience against climate change (file)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2026And economic justice<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The country\u2019s ability to adapt to the increasingly volatile climate and develop its economy is also hampered, declared Mr. Guterres, by its designation as a middle-income country \u2013 which means that it does not have access to the kinds of concessional funding, such as grants, low interest loans and debt relief, that are available to low-income nations.<\/p>\n

This, he said, is \u201can injustice that must be corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the issue, according to the Secretary-General, is the outdated nature of the international financial architecture (a recurrent theme during his mandate). The institutions created over 75 years ago, need to be reformed \u201cin order for developing countries like Papua New Guinea to have a much stronger voice and a much stronger influence in the way decisions are taken,\u201d he argued, \u201cand a much higher access to the resources that are essential for the development of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

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