Setting PNG’s Diplomatic Priorities: Student Perspectives on Bilateral and Multilateral Engagement
By Bernard Yegiora How can PNG translate its foreign-policy ambitions into practical outcomes with limited diplomatic, financial, and administrative resources? This question connected two student presentations in PG428 Foreign Policy in PNG at Divine Word University. Drawing on the Foreign Policy White Paper 2025, Group 1 examined strategic bilateral partnership prioritisation, while Group 2 explored PNG’s multilateral engagement and ASEAN aspirations. The presentations moved beyond identifying desirable international relationships. Students considered the coordination, institutional responsibilities, and resources needed to make those relationships deliver benefits for PNG. Group 1’s proposed implementation framework links PNG’s Foreign Policy White Paper 2025 with national development priorities, highlighting coordination between the Department of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic missions, national agencies, and provincial and local-level governments. Case Study 1: Strategic Bilateral Pa...