Gianluca Rampolla

Speaking during the recent opening of the Mama Bank Access Points (MAPs), UN Regional Coordinator, Gianluca Rampolla said he was proud to witness an important day for the future of financial inclusion in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region.

“A region that is still one of the least banked in the world. A new innovative solution is about to be piloted here that will make it easier for rural dwellers to access and use financial services, and especially for women.

Justin Tkatchenko, Minister for Lands & Physical Planning, presented the lease to Gianluca Rampolla, United Nations Resident Coordinator, in a recent ceremony held at the office of Lands Department.

The issuance of the lease is a milestone for the UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes in Papua New Guinea.

The subject of helping PNG realise the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as national development and peacebuilding priorities, were discussed during his February 7^th meeting with PNG’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator for PNG, Gianluca Rampolla, said the state of the region was only worsened by the earthquake.

In a recent interview with this newsroom, the UN resident coordinator, Gianluca Rampolla, told of the UN’s response during the February 26^th earthquake.

Rampolla said during the distribution of relief supplies, they discovered that some of the children were malnourished or stunting.

“That was not because of the earthquake. They were malnourished before the earthquake,” he said.

Gianluca Rampolla, UN Resident Coordinator in PNG, along with David Mcloughlin, Country Representative, UNICEF PNG and Robert Dekker, Emergency Coordinator, UN World Food Programme (WFP) met with communities in some of the most severely-affected communities to talk about their needs and also distributed food and other relief items.

It is calling on authorities to undertake prompt and effective investigations into the matter.

“A free, uncensored and unhindered media is the cornerstone of a democratic society, and we stand against violence against the media, in any form,” said UN Resident Coordinator in PNG, Gianluca Rampolla.

“The media should be able to operate without fear or favour, and enjoy media freedom as a basic human right as enshrined in the Constitution of Papua New Guinea and the International Human Rights Conventions which PNG has ratified.”

Gianluca Rampolla officially takes up his post in-country.

During the meeting, Rampolla and Pato discussed prospects for deepening the strategic partnership between the Government of Papua New Guinea and the United Nations in realising the Sustainable Development Goals as well as national development and peacebuilding priorities.

“It was a great honour to meet with Mr. Rimbink Pato and to present him with the Letter of Credentials from the UN Secretary-General, appointing me as the UN resident coordinator in Papua New Guinea,” Rampolla said.