Macron launches Papua New Guinea forest protection partnership

In the heart of Varirata National Park near Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, French President Emmanuel Macron declared a partnership with the country on Friday to "reward" their efforts in preserving virgin forests, a model that France aims to promote.

Accompanied by Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape, Macron took off his jacket and tie and walked two kilometers through the forest to reach a viewpoint overlooking a scenic site renamed "Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron View," which is the full name of the French President.

Strategically located near major shipping routes and rich in minerals and other natural resources, Papua New Guinea has become the focus of a strategic confrontation between the West and China.

In response to Beijing's increasing influence in the region, the United States has relied on defense cooperation and signed a security agreement with Port Moresby.

France, unable to compete with the two superpowers in terms of resources, has chosen to focus on the environment, as stated by Emmanuel Macron on Thursday in Vanuatu during one of his regional tours.

During a press conference on Friday, the French president added, "Our goal is not to compete with China or the United States, but to offer fair partnerships with the countries of the region on an equal footing."

Prime Minister Marape said, "We should talk about peace and coexistence, respecting diversity," rather than on the basis of "great powers."

Macron stressed on Thursday that virgin forests "cover 14% of the Earth's surface and act as a reservoir for about 75% of non-recoverable carbon, which means that when we remove forests and burn their trees, we release carbon and, therefore, we are going backward."

However, he revealed that the international community funds reforestation efforts, but there is no economic model to support the preservation of existing forests.

According to a new framework announced during the "One Forest Summit" held with Gabon in Libreville in March, the idea is to conclude contracts with relevant countries "so that there is a reward" for the "environmental services provided by these forests" to ensure their preservation.

The first-ever contract of this kind was launched with Papua New Guinea, funded by the European Union with over 60 million euros.

France hopes to go even further by involving other G7 countries in this initiative during the 28th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change in early December. 

Ultimately, the private sector is expected to be engaged in this "new economic paradigm" through financial instruments that are yet to be defined, according to one of the advisors to the French president.

Non-governmental organizations and charitable entities, as well as UN agencies such as "Conservation International," "Wildlife Conservation Society," and Jeff Bezos' "Bezos Earth Fund," have joined this initiative.

With the upcoming Climate Summit in the UAE, France hopes to replicate this exemplary partnership with other countries that also have virgin forests, primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, the Congo Basin, and the Amazon, starting from Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The French side stated, "There is a matter of international justice" and explained, "We impose carbon taxes at the borders, and we impose a tax on deforestation at the borders by banning the import of products from deforestation, but we do not reward the countries that are most exemplary in absorbing carbon."

Prime Minister Marape thanked the French President, calling him the "champion of rainforest nations."

He said, addressing the French President, "I rely on my brother President Emmanuel Macron to speak on the global stage. We cannot talk about climate change without talking about forest protection, oceans, and green economies."

In parallel, the two countries signed other agreements.

The French Development Agency, which is gaining momentum in the Pacific region, particularly in climate issues, pledged to finance the rehabilitation of ports in Papua New Guinea with European partners and Australia to develop a "model of environmental responsibility."



AFP