The Minister for Bougainville Affairs Manasseh Makiba has announced the deferral of the long anticipated Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) meeting which was supposed to take place on the 20-21st of July, 2023, in Madang Province.
The new date set for the JSB meeting is July 31st, 2023, at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby.
When announcing the cancellation and rescheduling of the new date, Minister Makiba apologized to the Governor for Madang Ramsey Pariwa.
“There has been a regrettable clash in the dates, in that the Prime Minister James Marape has a prior commitment with the re-opening of the Porgera Mine in Enga on those dates and will not able to make it to Madang for the meeting,” Makiba said.
Minister Makiba said the Prime Minister holds the role as co-chair of the JSB alongside counterpart ABG President Ishmael Toroama so he should be present for the meeting.
Autonomous Bougainville Government has accepted the deferral stating that the deferral will allow for members of the Bougainville House of Representative to attend the JSB on the 31st July and then attend the National Parliament sitting on August 1st, 2023, and witness presentations made by Minister Makiba and Bougainville’s National Members of Parliament.
The JSB meeting is held twice annually between the National Government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government to discuss way forward for the two governments and most importantly Bougainville referendum.
