The common sight of plastic, paper and aluminum wastes washed up on the beaches, thrown around in streets, public places and overloaded dump sites is an issue that does not only pose a threat to the Environment but also to public health. Phase Two of Japan’s Technical Cooperation Project for the Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries [J-PRISM II] tries to address this issue.
On 16 April, 2019, the Second Joint Coordinating Committee [JCC] Meeting for [J-PRISM II] was successfully held at Laguna Hotel, Port Moresby. More than twenty stakeholder representatives from Urban Local Level Governments [ULLGs], National Capital District Commission [NCDC], Conservation and Environment Protection Authority [CEPA], Climate Change Development Authority [CCDA], Department of National Planning and Monitoring [DNPM] and JICA attended the meeting. For all JICA Technical Cooperation Projects, JCCs are held at the discretion of the Project team. JCC Meeting plays a vital role in providing all stakeholders with the opportunity to continue revising the Project Design Matrix and Plan of Operation for the project.
At the JCC last week, Ms. Janet Haua, Project Coordinator, Waste Management Division, NCDC, presided over the meeting. Mr. John Michael, Director of Environment Protection Division, CEPA gave opening remark while Dr. Frank Griffin of UPNG gave the Keynote speech.
J-PRISM II is a region-wide project that targets human and institutional capacity base for sustainable Solid Waste Management (SWM) in the Pacific region. J-PRISM II thrives on the Cleaner Pacific Strategy 2025, a strategic document that aims encourage small island Pacific Island Countries tackle the issue of waste management whilst at the same time mitigating the effects of climate change.
CEPA, NCDC and DNPM will work together with JICA in implementing J-PRISM II in PNG. JPRISM II aims to strengthen Institutional capacity for SWM at the national and provincial levels through the following outputs:
1. J-PRISM II will provide lessons that should serve as valuable recommendations for CEPA to factor into CEPA’s newly established National Waste Polity Strategy, and Action Plan, especially with regard to Solid Waste Management.
2. Introduce Solid Waste Management models to the pilot Urban Local Level Governments of Alotau, Goroka, Lae and Kokopo.
3. Implement J-PRISM II as per the NCD Waste Management Plan 2016 – 2025.
Amidst various discussions around the challenges in the course of implementing JPRISM I, the goal of the JCC meeting was to endorse or agree on the modification of the Project Design Matrix (PDM) and Plan of Operation (PO) for the period 2017 – 2022.
PNG side (CEPA, NCDC and DNPM) and JICA mutually agreed to progress each output under the revised PDM during the second JCC Meeting for J-PRISM II Project. Therefore, after the successful implementation of J-PRISM I in 2007, JPRISM will now proceed into its Phase Two.
Source: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
