National Oceans Policy of Papua New Guinea 2020-2030

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Foreword
I am privileged on behalf of all our people in seafaring communities scattered across the maritime
boundaries of our country to be part of the initiative and collaboration that has led to this first-ever policy
document devoted to sustainable development and management of our oceans and maritime
endowment of our country.
I am part of a government that has set out to “take back Papua New Guinea” from a journey of four
decades that has yielded uncertain outcomes. In the policy space, we want to return to the vision of our
founding fathers espoused in the National Goals and Directive Principles. We want to take the
opportunity to reposition the country going into the future.
Oceans policy is a foundation policy that has been neglected for four decades since independence. We
now have a policy framework that deals with the policy and legal gap that will cover the important
development challenge that balances our ambitions to exploit our nation’s marine resources under a
sustainable and equitable framework. The policy is not intended to be a pedantic policy blueprint as
some would have wanted. It is but the beginning of a guided work needed in policy and legal
development required in the area.
The policy raises a legitimate expectation in our people for government to work smarter to correct and
restore years of unjust exploitation, deprivation and injustice for marine resource owners and our
country that has spanned many generations starting from first contact with outsiders till now.
I think of ordinary citizens in many far fletched isolated island communities like Budibudi in Milne Bay
Province and many others in our coastal regions who depend on government at all levels to action and
use this policy with a sense of urgency. For these communities, our sovereignty as a country has
become meaningless in many ways. Positive action and nothing less will appease our people.
Whilst our National Constitution, Goal 4, National Goals and Directive Principles relates to the
protection of the environment, including oceans and the wise use of the natural resources, our policy
focus in the area of environment and natural resources has been directed to land-based extractive
industries.
Given that PNG is an archipelagic state meaning that we are surrounded by oceans, our failure to put in
place a policy governing the sustainable management of our marine resources is lamentable. For
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example, it is not without significance that our maritime boundaries have not been clearly defined
almost 45 years since independence.
I note that work in this regard was encouraged following Papua New Guinea becoming a signatory to
the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) in 1997. Legal reforms were introduced to
implement UNCLOS and related maritime treaties to protect and preserve our oceans.
But all these effort in legislation were introduced without a National Oceans Policy.
I am happy to note therefore that this National Oceans Policy is inspired and derives its character from
Goal 4 of the Constitution, and Vision 2050 for PNG to achieve a ranking within the top 50 countries in
2050 based on the UN Human Development Index (UNHDI).
The road to this goal has been articulated in the principles of the National Strategy for Responsible
Development (STaRS) where “responsible development encapsulates integrating environmental
protection, biodiversity development and conservation; that is, not posing any unnecessary risks to
present generations and at the same time not jeopardizing the needs of future generations.”
On the global front, our Oceans policy framework is consistent with our national commitment to
implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, sustainable
development Goal 14 - Life Below Water, that aims to promote conservation and sustainable use of our
oceans, and its marine resources. In implementing the Oceans Policy therefore our nation will be
contributing to adaptation and mitigation of challenges facing the oceans of our planet.