This advert was published in The Wantok newspaper on March 14, 2019 and will be appearing in the lead up to the National Land Summit 2019 at the begining of May. 

By Franklin Kolma / Post Courier

A development researcher has found that land mobilisation and Public-Private Partnership policies renders legitimate traditional land and resource owners mere spectators.

The government of plotting to grab more customary land and hand it to multi-national companies and the commercial banks.

While it has been forced to stop issuing illegal SABL leases, the government now intends to use the National Land Summit as a cover to find new ways to ‘facilitate access to customary land’.

Tax evasion by multinational companies involved in the exploitation of Papua New Guinea's natural resources is finally on the government radar and an increasing number of reforms are being implemented.

Source: Oakland Institute

In advance of the release of the World Bank’s 2019 Enabling the Business of Agriculture (EBA) report, the Oakland Institute exposes the Bank’s new scheme to privatize land in the developing world.

Image: Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato, Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC leaders summit in Port Moresby last year. PNG's PM has faced criticism for spending on the meeting. Photo: APEC Papua New Guinea Media team

Issues of corruption and land grabbing figure high in Human Rights Watch assessemnt of PNG

PNG Mine Watch

Opposition to large-scale mining in Papua New Guinea is becoming more and more visible as communities become much more vocal in expressing their anger and disapproval.

As Papua New Guinea prepares to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, civil society, landowners and academics have written to the Chinese leader urging his help to reduce illegal logging in PNG.

China is the major importer of tropical logs from PNG most of which are sourced from illegal sources including from SABL lease areas.