Jiwaka Province will soon have a Provincial Resource Centre to store vital information for the public to access.
The facility will enable researchers, teachers, students, women, and communities to better access information and resources on biodiversity conservation and women’s empowerment.
USAID facilitated the signing of a Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA) between the Jiwaka Provincial Administration (JPA) and the Research and Conservation Foundation of PNG (RCF) on Monday 28 February to establish the Provincial Resource Centre.
Through support from the USAID Lukautim Graun Program and the in-kind and monetary contributions from RCF and JPA, the RCF PNG and Jiwaka Provincial Administration formally committed to setting up a Provincial Resources Centre.
Provincial Administrator for Jiwaka, Joe Karap and Director of RCF, Dr. Sangion Appiee Tiu jointly signed the MOA.
Karap thanked the United States for its assistance through the PNG Lukautim Graun Program.
“I acknowledge and thank USAID for coming forward to work with us. Jiwaka is a new province and I need this kind of support from donors and partners.”
Dr. Tiu said, “The Research and Conservation Foundation of Papua New Guinea is a nationally managed not-for-profit organization that has been delivering conservation interventions through education and sustainable rural livelihoods programs for many years. The Foundation is not new to Jiwaka Province as it already has a Conservation, Education and Research Centre but with the support from the PNG Lukautim Graun Program, this will be upgraded to a Provincial Resource Centre.”
USAID’s Lukautim Graun Program’s Deputy Chief of Party, Tom Pringel said, “USAID funded Lukautim Graun Program is pleased to facilitate the process for both parties to reach an agreement through the signing of the Provincial Resource Centre MOA. This agreement paves the way for collaboration by providing a hub for information storage and dissemination focused particularly on women’s economic empowerment and biodiversity conservation to empower traditional landowners of this province.”
Pringel further highlighted that the Provincial Resource Centre provides a useful depository for research, resource, and awareness materials that the public can access as well as outreach activities that support communities taking action to economically empower women and sustainably manage their resources on which their wellbeing depends.
Through the MOA, the JPA committed to engage with other organizations and partners who share a similar goal to develop the Resource Centre and make available resources that are produced by provincial authorities such as Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Livestock.
The Research and Conservation Foundation will work with Jiwaka Provincial Administration to convert the current Conservation, Education and Research Centre in Banz to a Provincial Resource Centre where public information will be stored.
USAID’s PNG Lukautim Graun Program is led by Cardno International Development in partnership with its implementing partners that include Care International, The Nature Conservancy, the PNG Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, and the Wildlife Conservation Society to support biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and create opportunities for women and girls, men and boys to learn about and become equipped to support women’s economic development and equality in PNG.