Nineteen (19) newly recruited officers from the Department of Foreign Affairs travelled to New Zealand on Friday, October 6, 2023, to undertake a three-week intensive Foreign Service Training Programme (FSTP).
The programme is a foundational training for officers entering the Papua New Guinea Foreign Service. It is supported by the New Zealand Government and will be conducted by the Victoria University of Wellington.
FSTP is geared towards providing a knowledge-based skill-set and framework for officers in the policy divisions. The foundational skills acquired are intended to be applied in the performance of their jobs to advance their policy and diplomatic work in representing and promoting PNG’s national interest with PNG’s partner countries and international organizations. Officers who complete this programme and are placed in the policy divisions can rightly claim to be fully pledged Foreign Service Officers (FSO).
Six trainees from Fiji and seven from Vanuatu will join the nineteen trainees from PNG.
Senior officer/coordinator Kuike Numoi, and Programme Administrator Mary Karo are leading the PNG team.