PNG to host 2025 Conference of Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM)
Meeting
Papua New Guinea Ministry of Education has made history by
becoming the first Pacific Island country to host the 2025 Conference of the
Pacific Education Ministers (CPEM) meeting.
Chair of CPEM and Minister for Education, Hon. Lucas Dawa Dekena,
MP made this official announcement on Thursday October 17 during the launching
event held at the Cheshire Disability Services centre in Port Moresby.
The conference will be held from March 18th- 20th, 2025 in Port
Moresby with the University of the South Pacific as Co-host of the conference.
Present at the official launch were members of the diplomatic
corps including New Zealand Ambassador to PNG, Peter Zwart, European Union
Ambassador to PNG, Jacques Fradin, Representative from the US Embassy,
Australian Embassy and the top and senior management team from the Ministry of
Education.
The announcement included the unveiling of the CPEM official logo
under the theme “Transforming Edukesen for a Better Pacific”
and the website www.usp.ac.fj/cpem.
This platform will be the central hub for all information related
to CPEM from conference schedules and speaker profiles to registration details
and updates.
Minister Dekena while delivering his keynote speech emphasized on
the significance of the conference in addressing educational challenges in the
Pacific Region including PNG.
“As we gather here today, we are not just unveiling a logo. We are
embracing a vision.
A vision rooted in the outcomes of the recent Pacific Forum
Leaders Meeting held in Tonga, where we collectively reaffirmed our commitment
to advancing education as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and
the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Education is not merely a pathway to individual success; it is the
cornerstone of resilient and thriving communities across our Pacific islands.
The logo we have unveiled today symbolises our unity, our shared
aspirations, and our commitment to fostering inclusive, equitable, and quality
education for all,” Minister Dekena said.
Co-host, the University of the South Pacific, Vice-Chancellor and
President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia in congratulating Papua New Guinea said the
2025 CPEM will not only shape the future of education in the region, but also
strengthen the bonds between island nations and forge a path towards a more
inclusive and dynamic educational landscape.
The USP will co-host the meeting through the Pacific Regional
Education Framework (PacREF) Facilitation Unit, which is housed at USP and is
an initiative of Pacific Education Ministers, that emphasises their dedication
to improve the quality of education in the Pacific at all levels.
The high-level conference will bring together Education Ministers
from the Pacific, senior government officials, educators, development partners,
civil society organisations, and policymakers to address key education
priorities within the Pacific.
CPEM 2025 will gather Education Ministers from 18 countries which
include Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, French
Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu,
Australia and New Zealand.
The maiden CPEM was held from March 20-23, 2023 in Auckland, New
Zealand and was established to share strategies and discuss key issues such as
education financing, quality, and building resilience, inclusion and equity.
Approved for Release
Media and Communication Unit