A new report published by the United Nations Human Rights Council is critical of the SABL land grab and the PNG government’s response. The UN says the land grab has been especially harmful to minorities and indigenous peoples.
The SABL land grab has resulted in over 5 million hectares of land being unlawfully taken from indigenous rural people and given to foreign corporations.
The government is to ignore the SABL Commission of Inquiry and endorse the SABL land grab by converting the unlawful leases into registered land and issuing new leases to the logging companies.
The government’s human rights record and its failure to protect the interests of customary landowners is under the spotlight in Switzerland this week.
Community advocacy group ACT NOW! is in Geneva briefing diplomats at the United Nations on the SABL land grab, illegal logging and experimental seabed mining.
The government’s human rights record and its failure to protect the interests of customary landowners is under the spotlight in Switzerland this week.
Community advocacy group ACT NOW! is in Geneva briefing diplomats at the United Nations on the SABL land grab, illegal logging and experimental seabed mining.
“The PNG government must appear before the United Nations Human Rights Council in May as part of a process called a Universal Periodic Review (UPR)” explains Eddie Tanago, Campaign Coordinator with ACT NOW!
Source: Cosmas Makamet, PNG Eco-Forestry Forum
Source: Legend FM News FB page
Sir Julius Chan, Governor of New Ireland Province, has challenged recent statements by the Forest Minister, Douglas Tomuriesa, concerning a recent report from the Oakland Institute that was critical of the way the forestry industry is run in PNG.
Source: Radio NZ
The Papua New Guinea Forest Minister has been urged by a transparency and environmental NGO to allow an audit of financial reporting by the logging industry.
Despite a new report by the Oakland Institute tracking massive tax evasion by foreign companies involved in PNG forestry, the minister Douglas Torumiesa has defended the loggers.
Mr Tomuriesa attacked the report's findings as being inaccurate because the companies do pay log export taxes.
Source: Post Courier online
Minister for Forest, Douglas Tomuriesa and Goodwill Amos with the Oakland Report during a press conference.
THE Internal Revenue Commission is yet to confirm whether many foreign logging companies are in the country are avoiding to pay taxes in Papua New Guinea.
Source: ABC News
An area of Papua New Guinea's internationally significant rainforests in excess of the size of Australia's entire Wet Tropics Heritage Area in north Queensland has been cleared or logged in the 10 years to 2014, a new report has found.
Forest Minister Douglas Torumiesa’s attack on a report alleging the logging industry is failing to pay hundreds of millions of Kina in taxes is full of errors.
“The Forest Minister’s statements attacking The Great Timber Heist are full of inaccuracies and must be challenged”, says ACT NOW! Program Manager, Effrey Dademo.