Pope Tells Papua New Guinea Leaders Natural Resources Must Benefit 'entire Community'

Pope Francis on Saturday delivered a pointed warning to Papua New Guinea's leaders that the country's sizable resource wealth must benefit all

Port Moresby, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Sep, 2024) Pope Francis on Saturday delivered a pointed warning to Papua New Guinea's leaders that the country's sizable resource wealth must benefit all.

"These goods are destined by God for the entire community", the pontiff told a gathering of politicians, diplomats and civic leaders on the first full day of a visit to the South Pacific nation.

His comments will heap pressure on Papua New Guinea's leaders and embolden citizens who believe the country's natural resources are being squandered or stolen.

Papua New Guinea has vast reserves of gold, copper, nickel, natural gas and timber that have drawn a string of multinational companies to invest.

For decades the Highlands have been dotted with vast Canadian, Australian and Chinese-run mines.

A $19 billion project led by ExxonMobil has produced tens of millions of tonnes of liquified natural gas since operations began in 2014.

Another multibillion-dollar gas project is being developed by TotalEnergies.

The pope said that even if "outside experts and large international companies must be involved in the harnessing of these resources" they should not be the only ones to benefit.

"It is only right that the needs of local people are given due consideration when distributing the proceeds and employing workers, in order to improve their living conditions," he said.

But economists have found little evidence that this is happening in Papua New Guinea.

A recent World Bank study showed that between 2009 and 2018, the country's gross domestic product per person grew by more than a third on the back of the resource boom.

But over the same period, the percentage of people living on less than $2 a day was virtually the same.

"Poverty hardly changed over that time," the report's authors said.

"Poor access to essential services also changed very little from their initial low base".

Today about one in four people live below the poverty line, and scarcely more than 10 percent of homes have electricity.