01 August 2014
Partnership signing promotes cooperation for adaptation
An agreement signed on Thursday 31 July commits Papua New Guinea and Australia’s scientists to work more closely together on building community resilience to disasters and climate change.
PNG’s Office of Climate Change and Development (OCCD) and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) signed the agreement in Port Moresby today.
Both agencies pioneer innovative research and policies which can achieve sustainable economic development that is adaptive to climate change and natural disasters.
Their work aims to benefit communities and businesses in PNG by planning and implementing strategies that encourage prosperity and human development, while avoiding development that makes people more vulnerable to climate change and disasters.
The agreement, which was facilitated by the Australian High Commission PNG, commits the agencies to:
- Encourage joint research activities in the areas of vulnerability and adaptation planning, scientific data provision and management, technical support and capacity building between OCCD, CSIRO and other PNG agencies and NGOs
- Encourage the exchange of information and materials
- Identify other areas of interest and collaboration
It builds on ground-breaking research by CSIRO, funded by the Australian Government, undertaken in West New Britain Province in 2011-2013. This project showcased a novel adaptation planning approach which combined community and government perspectives with downscaled climate projections and modelling of impacts on livelihoods.
This project was part of the Australian Government’s contribution to the Coral Triangle Initiative, and was a partnership between the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation, the West New Britain Provincial Administration and The Nature Conservancy.