WHO WE ARE
The Papua New Guinea Biodiversity and Climate Fund (PNG BCF or The Fund) was established in 2022 with funding provided through a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) GEF-6 project to address the growing challenge of biodiversity loss and climate change in the country. The establishment of the Fund builds on the priorities outlined in the Government’s Protected Area Bill (2020) and the Climate Change Management Bill (2020). Those bills establish long-term sustainable financing strategies for protected area management and climate change mitigation and adaptation.
During a 3-5 year transition period, the Fund will be housed within the UNDP country office in PNG. During this time, the staff and Board will build experience in managing a Conservation Trust Fund; the Fund will then move to a fully independent legal structure.
The Fund was established through a multi-stakeholder consultation process. Reports from the design phase can be found in Documents and Resources.
The Fund’s operating principles are
Generating support from multiple donors
Building partnerships for success
Following financial best practice
Promoting new ideas and approaches
Sharing processes and results
Free from individual stakeholder control
Providing grants to local implementers
Learning from experience
MISSION
The mission of the PNG Biodiversity and Climate Fund is to catalyze financial and technical resources to enable present and future generations of Papua New Guineans to restore, protect, and enhance the country’s biodiversity and build resilience in the face of climate change.
PURPOSE
The PNG BCF will mobilize and manage funding and channel financial resources and technical assistance to conserve biodiversity and address climate change.
The Fund will be guided by six objectives:
two primary objectives with another four objectives that are complementary.
a primary objectives are:
These are supported by the following complementary objectives:
GOVERNANCE
The Fund is governed by a 13-member Board who oversee the Executive Director, approve policies, set the strategy and direction for the Fund, and approve grants. The Board includes representatives from civil society and Government.
Development
Partners
Mr. Dirk Wagener (Chair)
Resident Representative
United Nations Development Programme – Papua New Guinea
His Excellency, Mr. Keith Scott
British High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea
Government of
Papua New Guinea
Mr. William Lakain
Acting Managing Director
Climate Change Development Authority
Nongovernmental
Organizations / Civil Society
Ms. Sarah Stocks (Secretary)
Deputy Chief of Party – USAID PNG Biodiversity Program
Ms. Stacy O’Nea
Managing Partner
EMB Business Consultants
Private
Sector
Mr. Rupert Bray
Managing Director
Steamships Trading Company
Mr. Paul Sayer
Chief Executive Officer
Nambawan Super Fund
SECRETARIAT TEAM
The Secretariat is based in Port Moresby and is led by the Executive Director. The Secretariat manages the day-to-day operations of the Fund and implements the Fund’s strategies. During the three-to-five year start-up period, the Secretariat is based in UNDP’s PNG office and operates with technical and administrative support from UNDP.
Executive Director
(to be hired)
Zola Sangga
Programme Manager
Finance Manager
(to be hired)
ADVISORY TEAM
Dr. Andrew Rylance
Chief Technical Advisor
United Nations Development Programme
Patricia Kila
National Stakeholder Engagement Officer
UNDP GEF 6 Project
Kay Kumaras Kalim
Director for Sustainable Environment Programs Division
PNG Conservation and Environment Protection Authority
Theresa Dearden
Technical Lead, Natural Resource Management Hub
United Nations Development Programme
Ray Victurine
Director, Conservation Finance Program
Wildlife Conservation Society
Katy Mathias
Conservation Finance Project Manager
Wildlife Conservation Society
OUR LOGO
The PNG Biodiversity and Climate Fund logo was designed through a multi-stakeholder engagement process to encapsulate Papua New Guineans’ pride in their natural heritage. The cassowary stands proudly and in attention in our logo. It is one of PNG’s native keystone species, and these flightless birds play a critical role in maintaining the diversity of our rainforests. In our logo, the cassowary is formed by illustrations of PNG’s leatherback turtle, the tree kangaroo, the ebony tree, the bird of paradise, water, mountains, the sea, and a child wearing a traditional headdress, completed with a kina shell on the cassowary’s breast. As a whole with all of the illustrations combined, and using a colour palette that represents the forests and sea, our brand is a powerful symbol that signifies the life-giving connection of land, water, sea, animals, plants and people. Take one out and the connection is broken and severed, leaving a hole that is impossible to fill.
