Oceania – Ms. Zacharopoulou’s visit to Papua-New Guinea and Vanuatu (22-25 November 2022)

Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will be in Papua-New Guinea on November 22 and 23 and in Vanuatu on November 24 and 25 to attend the 12th Conference of the Pacific Community (SPC).

In Papua-New Guinea, the minister of state will emphasize France and its EU partners’ commitment to combating the effects of climate change and protecting biodiversity in the region, especially through the Forestry-Climate Change-Biodiversity (FCCB) program, and the regional Kiwa Initiative, to which France will contribute an additional €4 million in 2022, bringing its national contribution to €30 million. During her visit to the Port Moresby General Hospital’s Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department, she will address challenges relating to sexual and reproductive health and will speak with activists who are combating sexual violence against women. She will meet with Prime Minister James Marape and with several members of the Papuan government.

In Vanuatu, the minister of state will attend the 12th Conference of the Pacific Community (SPC) marking the 75th anniversary of this regional organization, of which France is a founding member. She will underscore France’s role as a Pacific power and as a development partner in public health, climate change, the ocean and ocean resources, and on the issue of natural resources including food systems. A bilateral session is scheduled between France and Vanuatu to discuss such emblematic projects as France’s support for the National University of Vanuatu; the Tagabe River Restoration Project, within the framework of the Kiwa Initiative; and the SWAP initiative on sustainable waste management funded by France through the Oceania Regional Environmental Program (PROE). She will also meet with newly elected Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau and several members of the ni-Vanuatu government.