Dear Readers, welcome to the second edition of the CIMC’s Paitim TokTalk Newsletter Series for 2023. This edition contains news and events that occurred between the months of July and December. The main highlights of CIMC’s work in the preceding pages include the following:

1. Witnessing of the launching of the Wau-Waria 5 Year District Development Plan in October.

2. Hosting of CIMC’s 2023 National Development Forum featuring the Theme: “Measures to Achieve the MTDP4 Objectives for a Better PNG”.

Now that the MTDP4 was launched and implementation had began, the forum had attempted to stimulate discussions on what the kinds of things that should be done as a prerequisite to successfully achieve the MTDP4 aspirations within the implementation period.

3. Building its internal capacity - To date, CIMC was able to recruit 4 technical staff including graduates who went through the CIMC annual Graduate Development Program to fill 4 positions.

4. Apart from a series of sectoral committee meetings, workshops and seminars it facilitated, it also continued to work on its Strategic Corporate Plan which it hopes to complete by early 2024. Details of the above activities are in the preceding pages.

5. CIMC has engaged a website designer to design and maintain its website which we are hoping to open up to the public early 2024.

Moving forward into the New Year, CIMC wishes to revive some of its dormant sectoral committees and subcommittees. Also implementing an Open Government Partnership (OGP) milestone under OGP National Action Plan II (2022-2024). This milestone is featured in the Public Participation Cluster Commitment. This milestone requires the agencies responsible to ensure that citizens and civil society are made aware of the Government’s Budget Process so that they are empowered to participate meaningfully at the different levels of the budget process.

OGP is a global initiative that encourages co-creation of activities between government and the civil society to promote transparency and accountability in the operations of the government. Every member who joins the global OGP family is required to set up a National OGP Steering Committee with a Secretariat and develop a 2-year rolling plan to implement in partnership with civil society actors. PNG joined OGP in 2015 and has a focal point Secretariat which is housed under the Department of National Planning & Monitoring to ensure fulfillment of the requirements mentioned above.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge all our partners for all the support either in cash or kind to the CIMC including most importantly the Government of PNG for the financial support to make sure 2023 was a successful year for CIMC.

On behalf of our Chairman, the Minister for National Planning and the team at the CIMC Secretariat, I now wish you all a Happy Holidays during the festive season and we are hoping to see you all again in the New Year. Look out for our new Publications in the New Year which will continue to update you on the CIMC work.

In the meantime, I wish you all happy reading and hope the information here is enjoyable and useful.