Civil society organisations are urging the Papua New Guinea government to take immediate action to end pervasive land grabbing and illegal logging after these issues were highlighted by governments around the world in formal recommendations put before the United Nations yesterday (1).
The government is planning to convert unlawful SABL leases into registered land. Community advocacy group ACT NOW! says there are seven strong reasons why the government’s plan is wrong and should be rejected.
“The Department of Lands is drafting amendments to the Lands Act which will allow the government to endorse the unlawful SABL land grab”, says ACT NOW! Program Manager Effrey Dademo.
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!
Community advocacy group ACT NOW! says 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.
An explosive new report exposing tax evasion and financial misreporting by logging industry in PNG only emphasizes the need to cancel the unlawful SABL leases and stop the illegal logging says community advocacy group ACT NOW!
The Oakland Institute report The Great Timber Heist: The Logging Industry in Papua New Guinea, exposes how the logging industry avoids paying hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes, depriving the country of much needed revenues.
The Prime Minister is again giving excuses for why the unlawful SABL leases have not been cancelled. The PM is reported as saying despite an NEC decision in June 2014 ordering the cancellation the Department of Lands has been "dragging its feet" and some leaseholders have caused delays by taking legal action.
But Community advocacy group ACT NOW! says the Prime Ministers excuses are old and very lame.
APEC Forest Ministers are being urged to question the PNG government about widespread land grabbing and illegal and unsustainable logging and press for action when they meet in Port Moresby next week
Community advocacy group ACT NOW! has written to sixteen APEC Forest Ministers explaining the history of the SABL land grab and the continuing problems of illegal and unsustainable logging in PNG.
The Chief Secretary has announced the government has a new way forward on implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into the Special Agriculture and Business Lease land grab.
But community advocacy group ACT NOW! says the government's statement lacks any substance and is just the latest in a long series of excuses and delays.
Community advocacy group ACT NOW! has welcomed the suspension of Lands Secretary Romily Kila Pat but says his replacement, Luther Sipison, must act immediately to cancel the unlawful SABL leases.
"We are pleased to see the government finally taking action by suspending the Lands Secretary but we are still waiting for the illegal SABL leases, many of which were signed off by Kila-Pat, to be cancelled" says Effrey Dademo, ACT NOW! Program Manager.
The government's long-term strategic plan, Vision 2050, grossly misinterprets the National Goals and Directive Principles in our Constitution.
This is the major finding of a new study conducted by Patrick Kaiku from the University of Papua New Guinea.
"Vision 2050 ignores the visionary work of the Constitutional Planning Committee and does not embrace the five National Goals and Directive Principles enshrined in the Constitution", says Patrick Kaiku.