The Autonomous Bougainville Government and the National Government met for the last time today (Fri 22.04), in the Joint Supervisory Body, or JSB Meeting, before the PNG Government heads to the polls next week.
President Ishmael Toroama, the Bougainville Executive Council, the Bougainville Independence Mission Advisory Team, and specific heads of departments have set up camp in Port Moresby this week, and have been holding high level, closed-door discussions in preparation for their meeting with the National Government.
Today’s meeting is crucial for Bougainville because it now seals the Era Kone Covenant which respective executive councils have endorsed separately.
The agreement marks the end of Joint Consultations between the two governments and the start of the Ratification process.
Following this formal joint endorsement of the covenant, the next step would be for further collaboration on a framework to create a Constitutional Regulation – the mode by which the Referendum Results, Outcomes of the Joint Consultations and a Joint Report will be brought into Parliament.
The Era Kone Covenant and possible discussions on a framework for the Constitutional Regulation would be among the priority agendas in the JSB, apart from other matters.
Melanesia News 