Policy Review: National Oceans Policy of Papua New Guinea (2020-2030)

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Introduction

The National Ocean Policy (NOP) of Papua New Guinea (2020–2030) is a policy document that outlines PNG's management plans for its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Publicly, the NOP was described as the Marape-Steven government’s attempt to take back PNG through structural and management changes. At its core, the policy focuses on providing sustainable methods that are of global standards yet embrace local qualities in how oceans and marine resources within PNG’s EEZ can be used, governed, and managed. This review will assess the positive and negative aspects of the Integrated Oceans Management (IOM) System and propose recommendations based on them.

Summary

The underlying reason for the NOP is to develop, establish, and manage an Integrated Oceans Management (IOM) System throughout PNG’s EEZ and also establish a basis for regional and international cooperation to address maritime issues.

Firstly, the policy plans began as a result of ongoing land pollution due to mineral extraction industries. There are legal acts, such as the Maritime Zones Act 2015, that promote the governance of PNG’s EEZ; however, there is no policy framework.

Secondly, without a policy to guide governance, local maritime communities and the marine ecosystem continue to face the devastating effects of offshore deep seabed exploration and mineral extraction activities, especially by foreign companies, such as the Solwara 1 Project that was developed by Canadian company Nautilus Minerals.

Also raised was the weak governance system that may halt the effectiveness of the NOP. In order for the objectives of the NOP to be achieved, it is imperative that the national government strengthen the existing governance structure and other interrelated issues.

To address these issues, the NOP framework finds its foundation in the principles of the IOM system. With the IOM system, an inter-government and cross-department policy-guided approach that is inclusive of all concerned parties, including all maritime communities, will be taken to execute the NOP.

Critique

The IOM System is a notable feature of the NOP, and as such, a proper assessment to understand its mechanisms is only logical. Chand et al. (2022) describe IOM as a "holistic, ecosystem-based, and knowledge-based approach to planning and managing the use of ocean space, with the goal of balancing various uses and needs to achieve a sustainable ocean economy along with healthy ecosystems."

Positively, PNG is not the first country to use the IOM system. IOM is an internationally recognized system with global standards that has been tailored and used by many developed and developing countries to manage their EEZ according to their needs and national objectives. Its continuous use is a testament to the successful outcomes that IOM can produce if administered well. Jan-Gunnar et al. (2020) reported that prior to applying IOM, Norway, like PNG and many other countries, managed major sectors of their economies individually, such as petroleum, fisheries, and transportation. This caused a lot of problems. In contrast, IOM promotes the collaborative approaches of these industries to addressing issues. Norway has experienced great results through IOM after fully adopting the system.

The NOP notes the need for wider collaboration between state and non-state actors. However, the application of IOM can never be completely identical to that of other states. PNG needs to model its application of the system based on what is locally suitable.

Second, PNG is negatively known for official corruption and not having the structural capacity or simply lacking cooperation among state agencies to support and administer government projects. And although, in accordance with the IOM system, the NOP encourages shared responsibility, it can be observed in many national projects that responsibilities are not always shared in PNG. As such, this is an area that needs immediate improvement if the IOM is to be effective. Pratt and Brierley (2016) reflect that the Pacific community, of which PNG is regarded as a leader, has had many plans, such as the Pacific Plan, Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy (PIROP), and its related Framework for Integrated Strategic Action (PIROF-ISA). However, despite having a flamboyant idea, Pratt and Brierley outline that these plans were practically ineffective at the state and regional level for many reasons, one of which is the absence of good governance and collaboration.

According to Naupa et al. (2018), "some of the immediate issues raised by Pacific leaders through the Boe Declaration were increasing transnational organized crime, cyber-attacks, climate change, and even weapons of mass destruction". Climate change remains the greatest threat to Pacific island states, and PNG’s NOP directly addresses climate and ocean management issues through the application of the IOM system. However, the NOP does not capture new and emerging problems. Supporting this, Sousa-Santos (2022) stated that the Pacific’s vast and porous maritime borders, weak jurisdictions, and limited enforcement capabilities are key structural challenges and enablers of transnational crime in the region".

Generally, implementation of the IOM by PNG through the NOP and also by other Pacific island states through respective policies is a step towards individually and collectively addressing the concerns captured in the Boe Declaration, particularly environmental and resource security.

Recommendation

Through the NOP system implemented by member states of the Pacific Island Forum (PIF), to address transnational crimes, Pacific island states should collectively fund cross-boundary security under the PIF banner to overlook the Pacific maritime borders. The Pacific is a strategically important region; similarly, Bishop (1994) draws an example from the creation of a Regional Security System (RSS) by the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States as a response to uncontrolled activities within the Caribbean region. Implementation of the RSS and other regional security systems has drastically decreased maritime border crimes.

An important area of concern for PNG in order for the NOP to be effectively implemented is having enough structural capacity to fund, implement, and manage the IOM system. It is common knowledge that PNG has a cynical implementation process where projects are not managed well and systems or plans that are good are never fully utilized.

Conclusion

Since 1975, PNG has had mineral extraction activities, and while short-term benefits are received, land degradation and destruction of local biodiversity prevail. From these experiences sprung the NOP to ensure the same effects do not reach our ocean communities.

The implementation process of the NOP is structured to follow the IOM system, which is a globally recognized ocean management system that has been implemented by many countries. IOM focuses on effective, sustainable management, governance, and use of the ocean. More so, effective implementation of the IOM will see PNG address environmental and resource security concerns highlighted in the Boe Declaration.

References

Bishop, C.W. (1994). Caribbean regional security: the challenges to creating formal military            relationships in the English Speaking Caribbean. (Published master thesis), The University of                West Indies. St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA406428.pdf

Chand, K., Soapi, K. & Kruger, J. (2022). A pathway to effective regional ocean governance in the Pacific region: Integrated ocean management. The Pacific Community Centre for Ocean                Science. https://purl.org/spc/digilib/doc/3povb

Naupa, A., Ackman., & Tuimalealiifano. (October 3, 2018). Boe Declaration: navigating an uncertain Pacific. Lowy Institute. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/boe- declaration-navigating-uncertain-pacific

Pratt, C., & Brierley, E. (2016). Ocean Governance and the Ocean Commissioner in the Pacific. Social  and Economic Studies, 65(1), 133–143. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26380113

Winther, J., Dai, M., Northrop, E., & Branco, I. A.  (2020). Integrated Ocean Management: 5 Success Stories of Ocean Health and Wealth. World Resources Institute.      https://www.wri.org/insights/integrated-ocean-management-5-success-stories-ocean-  health-and-wealth

Sousa-Santos, J. (February 17, 2022. The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug             superhighway. Lowy Institute. https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/pacific-islands- become-collateral-damage-drug-superhighway

 

 

 

My name is Banabas MENEI. I am from Manus and Eastern Highlands provinces in PNG. I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in PNG and International Studies (2023)

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