Links with Papua New Guinea strengthened
Victoria’s role in building capability in Papua Guinea continues to grow, with the signing of agreements under which the School of Government will deliver a new professional development programme for staff in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Under the arrangement, which was formalised at Victoria last week, the School of Government will provide 20 one-week courses a year for four years covering a range of subjects, from communication skills and information and knowledge management, to negotiation skills and international organisations. Staff from DFAT will attend the first two modules in Wellington, starting next month, while the remainder will be held in Papua New Guinea.
The content of the programme has been chosen in response to the specific needs of the PNG Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which is jointly funding the programme along with New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).
The signing at Victoria was attended by Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford, William Dihm, Secretary for the Papua New Guinea Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Morea Veratau, Acting High Commissioner for Papua New Guinea to New Zealand, and John Allen, who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika), Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, says Victoria’s partnership with Papua New Guinea is assisting PNG to address development challenges.
“This initiative will build PNG’s capacity to manage its external relationships while also strengthening partnerships between DFAT and MFAT and also between the two ministries and Victoria University.”
She says a key strength of the programme is that it “has a PNG centre and heart” while drawing on New Zealand expertise and international best practise.
“That combination gives it the best chance of achieving its goals,” says Winnie.