Prime Minister's Cancellation of His Trip to UN General Assembly

Prime Minister James Marape decided not to participate in the 74th U.N. General Assembly because of “urgent domestic issues.” Mr. Marape said he was of the view that in fiscal terms, having a large delegation attend these types of meetings was not the best use of the country’s precious financial resources at this time. Just five or six essential staff members will travel with Foreign Affairs Minister Soroi Marepo Eoe. He also said that he wanted to put on record his belief in the importance of the U.N. General Assembly and the role of the United Nations, particularly in relation to climate change, which remains a very urgent issue for PNG and the islands of the Pacific.