A special Australia awards graduation dinner was held for 53 public servants from the APEC Secretariat and key Papua New Guinea Government departments recently at the Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby.
The awardees undertook 3-4 month studies this year in Australia in the fields of international relations and international trade in preparation for APEC 2018.
Present at the awards night on Tuesday evening was Prime Minster Peter O’Neill, Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis, Papua New Guinea’s Ambassador to APEC, Ivan Pomaleu, and UN resident co-ordinator Roy Trivedi.
Davis said the group of prominent Australia Awards Fellows will have a major impact on Papua New Guinea’s APEC capacity and, among other duties, will lead talks and manage effective ministerial or senior official meetings.
O'Neill thanked the Australian Government for its continued support towards APEC 2018.
“While our government has rolled out the free education policy, we have heard the concerns of our people that quality education is also vital for our people," he said.
Meantime, Trivedi, speaking on PNG's sustainable development goals, said the country has so much to offer.
He then took the opportunity to launch a set of stamps conveying different elements of prosperity.
"Today as the world seeks to promote the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals, we the United Nations and Post PNG have combined and are using again the postal services to tell the world the importance of living sustainably and at peace with our world,” said Trivedy.