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Bougainville House of Representatives. (File photo)
photo: Photo courtesy of Bougainville House of Representatives
The autonomous region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea wants more say over the international aid it receives.
The government will introduce an aid coordination policy.
The statement said that important development partners such as Australia and New Zealand, as well as other development partners and non-governmental organizations, have autonomy in how to provide assistance to Bougainville.
The report says that the priorities of donor countries and NGOs are often unrelated to those of ABGs.
Bougainville President Ismail Toroama said cooperation meant less duplication of effort and waste.
He said: “A coordinated approach to aid delivery by civil society organisations (CSOs) and our development partner countries is essential to maximise efficiency and impact.
“In determining our destiny, we must understand that Bougainville’s location attracts a lot of foreign aid and that aid is for geostrategic reasons in the Pacific.
“We are at a period in history where we are transitioning from a post-conflict region to a politically independent sovereign state,” he said.
photo: Provided by/FB-Autonomous Bougainville Government
President Toroama said the foreign aid Bougainville receives from donor countries, most of which are from the Asia-Pacific region, “is based on the need to maintain regional stability and resolve geostrategic issues.”
“We cannot be subtly coerced into meekly accepting aid that does not reflect our needs and aspirations. In doing so, we will fall into a neo-colonial trap that will prevent us from participating in development,” he said.
Toroama said the new aid coordination policy would not completely regulate aid but would better coordinate its implementation to ensure services were delivered effectively and met the needs of the people.
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