Papua New Guinea’s Northern Governor Gary Juffa has raised concerns over foreigners representing Papua New Guinea to address the issue of climate change.
“At a recent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference in Bonn, Germany from 05 – 15 June, half of our PNG delegation at the conference consisted of foreigners working with or for the Coalition for Rainforest Nations.
“We had 25 persons there and 12 were foreigners,” Juffa told Parliament on Friday.
“What do they know about our country for them to be there to represent our country?
“Who appointed them?
“Do we not have our own experts?
“This is shameful.
“In fact, there were pictures going around of the official PNG delegation at this important UNFCCC conference showing an Italian woman and an American man speaking on behalf of our people.
“Are we not a sovereign nation that we cannot send our own people to attend this very important meeting that we have to send foreigners?
“What does that say about us?
“Do the people of the nation know about this?
“That this people are representing your people and speaking on your behalf?
“Half of the delegation at this very important meeting representing you and you did not even know any of them. “Some of them never even came here,” he said.
