Prime Minister James Marape is extremely pleased with the outcome of the bilateral meeting with the France President H.E Emmanuel Macron on Friday, where four significant documents were signed, include one to open the Expertise France office in the country.
Expertise France is the French public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects. It is part of the French Development Agency Group and is the French government’s international technical cooperation agency.
The signing of this particular document relates to the Contribution Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Expertise France for the implementation of the National Component of EU’s new Forestry Climate Change and Biodiversity nexus support program for PNG.
The project that Expertise France will manage amounts to 33.5 million euros (K133 million).
Therefore, to do so, Expertise France also signed a declaration of intent with the PNG Department of Foreign Affairs concerning the recognition of Expertise France as a designated Aid Organization, which should enable the organization to implement projects in PNG, such as the EU- FCCB contribution agreement that as also signed.
PM Marape said the other documents signed at the end of the bilateral meeting are the energy transition cooperation that they have signed with PNG Power Limited, the funding of works for the Port of Rabaul in East New Britain to make it more climate resilient and the support of green financing in the pacific.
“That is clearly a demonstration of France government and people in the continued support in the pacific and more importantly to Papua New Guinea, a country that host the third biggest forest resource on planet earth. We welcome the support,” said PM Marape.