CELCOR’s Policy Research and Law
Paula Bariamu-Nato, CELCOR
For those readers, who are somewhat new to these series of articles; CELCOR within its reform program in 2010 secured a grant from the European Union to assist, improve and strengthen policy and legislative frameworks in support of biodiversity conservation, environmental protection and protection of communal property rights.
In achieving this aim, it was imperative that CELCOR provides awareness and training to Local Level Governments (LLG) to improve capacity of LLG’s to exercise their powers and responsibilities under the Organic Law on Provincial Government and Local Level Government to make laws that will be applicable at the local government level. This training would no doubt, improve LLG capacity to exercise their powers, roles and responsibilities as provided for under the said Organic Law to make environment and conservation laws. Two LLG’s that have been earmarked to be the recipients of this training and CELCOR lawyers will help in the development of a conservation legislation for their locality and these are located in the Madang (Gamma LLG) and Oro (Tufi LLG) provinces.
The purpose of the project was to research, analyze and advocate for improved laws, standards and policies that will enhance protection of the environment, especially for the conservation of PNG’s rich biodiversity and protection of customary resource owner’s rights.
On Wednesday, 17th May 2011, a draft of the training manual to be utilized by CELCOR staff and LLG Councilors was presented to the European Union team comprising of the project leader, the programs staff and the accounting staff at the CELCOR office at Kunai Street, Hohola, for the first of four scheduled monitoring and evaluation meetings. The narrative report by CELCOR was well received and appreciated as it provided an insight into the issues that the implementation team encountered. These issues and or concerns were also reflected in the financial report delivered.
As a prerequisite to the training, an initial visit, a scoping trip will be undertaken with the LLG in question with the primary aim of meeting with councilors and if possible, community elders, to enable them to discuss in detail about the project and for CELCOR to obtain information about their best traditional practices of conservation, protection and usage of their environment and natural resources. These notations will then be integrated into the LLG environment and conservation law.
