Permanent Mission of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations in New York

Last week was an unprecedented week for the Mission, where four different delegations from Papua New Guinea were received and supported in a week. These included the Honourable Ian Ling-Stuckey, Minister for Treasury, who had official business with the United Nations; a group of students and their teachers from Paradise College in Port Moresby for a UN Model International Conference at New York's Columbia University; a female senior legal officer from the Internal Revenue Commission, Mrs. Vanessa Mamu, who joined global negotiations on a new international treaty on international tax cooperation for two weeks; and Ms. Florence Jaukae Kamel, renowned Papua New Guinea string bag designer known fondly as the 'Bilum Meri'.

Kundu New York was honoured and pleased to support Ms. Florence Jaukae Kamel, who made her successful debut at the iconic and prestigious New York Fashion Show on Saturday, 14 February 2026, from 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm at the Gotham Hall in New York. It was a defining moment for Ms. Jaukae Kamel in her personal career and journey as an entrepreneur and leader in a field not many have dared to take on in the country. It also marked Papua New Guinea's foray onto the world stage in the fashion industry. She was ably joined by Ms. Lorraine Umaropi of the Amuni Women's Foundation of Finschafen, Morobe Province.

The New York Fashion Week is a premier biannual event held in Manhattan in February and September each year, where designers debut collections to global media, buyers, and industry professionals. As one of the Big Four fashion weeks (New York, London, Paris, Milan), it serves as a critical and acclaimed launchpad for emerging talent to gain visibility, secure retail orders, and network. Only the best artists and fashion designers, known globally, are invited to debut their work on the New York Fashion runway each year.

Papua New Guinea's Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Ambassador Fred Sarufa, joined by his staff and the Papua New Guinea Embassy in Washington DC Acting Ambassador Cephas Kayo, his spouse, and the Papua New Guinea diaspora in New York, as well as colleagues from Vanuatu and Australia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, bore witness to the historic debut by the 'Bilum Meri' on the New York Fashion runway. The 'Bilum Meri's' runway entrance was marked by a huge round of applause from the audience, particularly Papua New Guineans waving the national flag, and it laid the foundation for her potential invitation to the Paris Fashion Week in October 2026.

Prior to the runway show, Ms. Florence Jaukae Kamel and her team paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Sarufa and his staff on Friday, 13 February 2026, who warmly welcomed them. Ambassador Sarufa highlighted that this was a rare and unique opportunity, as it was the first ever for a Papua New Guinean artist to be featured on the iconic New York Fashion Week Show. This represents a significant milestone for the women of Papua New Guinea. The majesty of the humble 'bilum' is now seen not just as a fashion accessory, but as a powerful symbol of culture, creativity, and women's leadership and strength in the country. Woven by hand and rich in meaning, the bilum tells the stories of our mothers, daughters, and communities whose skills have transcended generations, cradled the country's development, and today, across oceans. The narrative of the 'bilum' epitomizes the spirit of One People, One Nation, One Country – Papua New Guinea, said Ambassador Sarufa.

Ms. Jaukae shared that, as a bilum designer, she is also a mentor and trainer for women and girls in the community, teaching them the art of bilum weaving while connecting them directly to markets both at the national and international levels. Currently, Bilum Meri has over 54 outlets all over the world and has partnered with not-for-profits such as 'Among Equals' of Sydney, Australia, where the bilums are sold at a niche price for high-end clientele. Her work has also been featured at the Australian National Museum, the Smithsonian, as well as private art galleries.

On behalf of the Government of Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Sarufa congratulated and commended Ms. Jaukae for the great work done in promoting Papua New Guinea through bilum designs as a fashion icon. It has not only placed the country on the world map but has also benefited communities and households in the country, an achievement that we, as Papua New Guineans, should be proud of, said Ambassador Sarufa. He further added that the world will get to witness what Papua New Guinea is through our bilums, which is truly a special moment. He further expressed the country's best wishes and support to Ms. Jaukae and her team at the New York Fashion Show debut.

It was also an opportune time for the Mission staff to purchase bilums in support of the Amuni Women's Foundation and the women of Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province. 🇵🇬

Paradise High School is currently in New York, USA representing Papua New Guinea at the World International Model United Nations Conference from 9 – 13 February 2026. The delegation comprised fourteen (14) students and two (2) supervising teachers.

The conference will provide the students with the opportunity to engage in global discussions, develop leadership and interpersonal skills, gain firsthand experience in international diplomacy and participate in meaningful cultural exchanges with other countries.

Today, the students payed a courtesy visit to the Papua New Guinea Permanent Mission to the United Nations to meet His Excellency Mr. Fred Sarufa, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of PNG to the United Nations and the Mission staff.

The students were honoured to receive a briefing by Ambassador Sarufa on key issues of importance during their visit to New York. Some of the key issues highlighted during the briefing include:

✅The role and purpose of the United Nations;
✅An overview of the United Nations main organs and the organizational structure;
✅The importance of Papua New Guinea’s engagement and priorities at the United Nations, guided by the Government’s development priorities and plans under the Vision 2050, the Development Strategic Plan 2010-2030, the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP4) and Reset PNG@50 Agenda;
✅ Expectations of the students as good Ambassadors for the country; and
✅Practical guidance on protocol and safety awareness while in New York.

Ambassador further emphasized that this is indeed a rare and significant occasion for a school from Papua New Guinea to bring a group of students to New York and to the United States for such an epic and meaningful milestone in their educational journey. He stressed that this experience should serve as a springboard for the students’ future careers and inspire them to excel in their life choices.

The Mission also organized a tour of the United Nations Headquarters, to give the students an invaluable opportunity to better understand the United Nations Headquarters and its important role in the international community.

Ambassador Sarufa concuded the meeting by expressing warm congratulations to the students and their school for securing this opportunity, and extended best wishes on behalf of the Government of Papua New Guinea, the Mission staff, and their families for an enjoyable and enriching stay in New York.

Papua New Guinea is participating in the Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, being held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 2 to 13 February 2026.

Negotiations of the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation commenced in February 2025 and is expected to be completed in mid-2027. It will be subsequently endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly should there be consensus or a final decision taken.

Papua New Guinea is actively engaged in the current negotiations, with the delegation led by H.E Mr. Fred Sarufa, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations in New York. He is accompanied by Mrs. Vanessa Mamu, Director (Advising), Legal Services Division, Papua New Guinea Internal Revenue Commission (IRC), Mr. Buri Gari, Minister and Ms. Anna Mokono, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission.

Taxation plays an important role for national development and the importance of a tax system that is protected and supported, including through laws and policies are fundamental. The Marape/Rosso Government has prioritized domestic revenue raising for economic and social development of the country and raising revenue through fair taxation is critical.

Our delegation is therefore committed to contributing constructively to the development of a fair, inclusive and effective global tax cooperation framework that reflects the priorities of developing countries, including Papua New Guinea, to address global taxation challenges, enhance domestic resource mobilization and lend support to achieving the country’s MTDP IV, Vision 2050, Reset PNG@50 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Fourth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee will conclude on Friday, 13 February 2026.

Papua New Guinea addresses UNDP, UNFPA & UNOPS Executive Board, Tuesday 3 February 2026 🌐

H.E. Fred Sarufa, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations, outlined key priorities for Papua New Guinea’s partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the First Regular Session of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS, during an interactive dialogue with the new UNDP Administrator, Mr. Alexander De Croo.

Key highlights included UNDP’s support to the Bougainville Peace Process, climate and biodiversity action, disaster risk management and institutional reform.

On the UN80 Initiative, PNG expressed support for efforts to make the UN development system more efficient and responsive, while stressing that any proposed institutional reforms, including the UNDP-UNOPS merger, must strengthen and not weaken programme delivery at country level.

Furthermore, His Excellency underscored that reforms should preserve UNDP’s technical expertise, reinforce national ownership of development priorities, and enhance system-wide coherence to ensure tangible results for vulnerable countries.

As part of the Mission’s advocacy work, we maintain an “open door” policy for academic institutions, schools, and organizations within the New York municipality, providing opportunities to learn more about the work we do here at the United Nations 🇺🇳.

This morning, we welcomed students from Xavier High School 🏫, a private Catholic boys’ high school located in Midtown Manhattan. Their visit formed part of the school’s Model United Nations Programme, where students research countries, debate global issues, and learn about diplomacy and international relations.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative H.E Mr. Fred Sarufa gave a brief presentation highlighting key facts about Papua New Guinea and its core priorities on climate change and the environment, peace and security, sustainable development, and human rights..

The students took away valuable insights into Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬 its history, culture, politics, and people and also learned about how small countries like PNG manouver themselves strategically in a large multilateral setting.

The UN Secretary-General opened 2026 by warning that the world faces deep conflict, inequality, climate crisis, and weakening multilateralism but reaffirmed that the United Nations will not give up.

In his final year, he committed to making every day count, pushing for peace in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and beyond, advancing climate action, development financing, AI governance, and UN reform through the Pact for the Future and the UN80 Initiative.

Secretary- General Guterres emphasized three guiding principles for Member States to uphold in their work this year:

1. Upholding the UN Charter and international law;
2. Pursue peace with justice, including peace with nature and;
3. Work to build unity and inclusion in a divided world.

Secretary-General's remarks to the General Assembly - on Priorities for 2026 Excellencies,Happy new year. I wish you and your families peace and health in 2026. It is tradition for the Secretary-General to come before the General Assembly and present priorities for the year ahead. Today, I do so for the final time.