Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says the government will speak for West Papua as they are positively engaging with the Indonesian government to take on the West Papua Issue.
He said this during the meeting between the Pacific Island Forum Troika meeting with the Pacific Civil Society Organisation (PCSO) at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby.
He says the Pacific needs to have Indonesia at the table for it to discuss West Papua issues.
A statement emphasizing the five key priority issues was presented to the leaders
In this they called on Australia and New Zealand to join a united voice from Pacific seeking urgent just and ambitious climate action.
The PCSO also called on the leaders to effectively manage fisheries activities for an increased economic return.
“Without action your sovereign jurisdiction is under threat,” the statement says.
PIF leaders have also been asked to mobilise resources behind practical solutions for cervical cancer and to be more focused on ending preventable deaths from maternal mortality.
The civil societies groups also recognise that information technology is a “game changer’’ for the Pacific and call for leaders to look beyond an advisory committee to a visionary committee which incorporates a coordinated master planning approach to establish interconnected regional ICT infrastructure and the strategic development of ICT industry in the region.
“Our communities cannot afford to be merely consumers of other nation’s digital products and services; we must grow our own skills base and our own software and technology innovation industries in order to position our region for digital age economic and social sustainability,” says the PCSO.