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Papua New Guinea's Minister for National Planning & Monitoring Richard Maru has informed the leaders of the Pacific Islands region to include education and health as important pillars of the region’s strategic framework for Development Cooperation with the European Union, post 2020.

The leaders met with the European Union Commissioner for Development Cooperation and Chief Negotiator for the ACP-EU Post Cotonou negotiations in Apia, to exchange views on the Pacific region’s specific needs for inclusion in the Post 2020 Development partnership agreement.

The current Agreement expires in 2020 and the parties are negotiating a new Agreement.

Minister Maru was leading the PNG delegation on behalf of Prime Minister O’Neill and also in his capacity as one of the two lead regional negotiators at the Ministerial level. The Prime Minister of Samoa is the other lead negotiator.

“Quality education and universal and inclusive education are fundamental national development drivers in the context of Papua New Guinea and the other Pacific ACP states. Accordingly, they must be included as strategic pillars for the future Development assistance framework with the European Union,” Minister Maru said.

The leaders accepted Minister Maru’s submission and will be included as the Pacific region’s seventh strategic pillar for negotiation with the EU. The other broad pillars are, Climate Change and Disaster Resilience, Ocean Governance, Genuine Partnerships, Sustainable Development, Safeguarding the Region’s Resources and Security and Economic Potential and Sustainability of Fisheries Resources.

The leaders outlined the strategic pillars in their dialogue with Commissioner Mimica of the European Union.

Commissioner Mimica, also in his capacity as the Chief EU negotiator, outlined the Union’s perceived strategic pillars for the Pacific region and noted that the seven pillars outlined by the Leaders converge with those of the EU.

Minister Maru’s delegation included Papua New Guinea’s lead negotiator in both the ACP and Pacific regional Ambassadorial negotiation teams, Ambassador Joshua Kalinoe and Papua New Guinea’s High Commissioner to Fiji and the Pacific Islands Forum Ambassador Lucy Bogari.

Minister Maru expressed satisfaction at the PNG delegations positive contribution to the high-level political dialogue and instructed the two Ambassadors to ensure that Papua New Guinea continues to play a lead role at both the regional and all ACP EU Post Cotonou negotiations, going forward.

SOURCE: EMTV/PACNEWS

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Australian national John Nikolic found guilty in Fiji