Central Province has stepped forward to take bold action, signing a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) to strengthen climate resilience for its people.
The agreement, signed on the opening day of the 3rd National Climate Change Summit 2025 in Port Moresby, commits the Central Provincial Government, Central Provincial Administration, and CCDA to work together to protect communities from the impacts of rising sea levels, flooding, food insecurity, and extreme weather events.
For families in Central Province, climate change is already a lived reality.
Coastal villagers are losing land to the sea and struggling with saltwater intrusion, while inland farmers face unpredictable rains and poor harvests.
The MoU provides a framework to ensure practical solutions, from seawalls and safe water systems to climate-resilient crops and renewable energy, reach the people who need them most.
Under the MoU, a Provincial Climate Change Committee (PCCC) will be established to coordinate all climate-related programs in Central Province.
This will ensure projects are better planned, monitored, and linked to national strategies, while also giving the province direct access to international climate financing opportunities such as the Green Climate Fund.
The partnership also commits to creating a Division of Climate Change within the provincial structure and training local climate officers, empowering young Papua New Guineans to become champions of adaptation and innovation in their own communities.
Acting Climate Change and Environment Advisor Mr. Benjamin Keni along with Central Province Acting Deputy Administrator for Economic Services, Mr. Philip Alu, and Acting Deputy Provincial Administrator for Corporate Services, Mr. Magini Raga, were present to witness the signing on behalf of the Governor of Central Province, Rufina Peter, and Acting Provincial Administrator, Mr. Bala Kapa, who were unavailable at the time.
“Our mothers in the markets, our farmers in the gardens, and our families living along the coast are already feeling the impacts of climate change,” said Mr. Raga.
“This agreement ensures that climate action is integrated into our development plans so our people can live safer, more secure, and more hopeful lives.”
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Acting Managing Director of the Climate Change and Development Authority, Debra Sungi, highlighted the importance of establishing Climate Change Committees at the provincial level.
“We have through the national Climate Change Development Authority and the Climate Change Management Act, the provisions that allow Climate Change Development Authority to establish its committee through the established provincial government structures.”
“So, we have effectively tried as much as we can through the 21 provinces including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, established the Provincial Climate Change Committee through the MoU arrangement.”
In addition, the signing makes Central Province the eighth province to sign an MoU with CCDA for a PCCC and comes as PNG uses its Golden Jubilee year to reflect on its climate leadership over the past five decades.
From ratifying the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1993, to passing the Climate Change (Management) Act in 2015, launching the National REDD+ Strategy in 2017, and unveiling the National Adaptation Plan in 2023, PNG has steadily positioned itself as a global voice on climate resilience and green growth.
The National Climate Change Summit 2025, which convenes over 200 representatives from government, private sector, universities, development partners, youth, and local communities, provides a platform to showcase this progress and chart the next fifty years of climate resilience.
Furthermore, new features of this year’s summit include youth-led climate innovation competitions and presentations from climate research grantees under the Australia-PNG Economic Partnership.
While the MoU is not legally binding, it is a powerful commitment based on understanding and cooperation between the national government and the Central Provincial Government and its administration, with real benefits for people at the community level.
By aligning local action with national and global climate goals, Central Province is setting an example for how other provinces can play a leading role in safeguarding PNG’s future.
