Advancing his high-level agenda at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week in New York, Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has actively promoted Papua New Guinea’s expansive trade and investment landscape during an exclusive business roundtable hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU).

The event convened prominent American business executives, institutional investors, and senior United States Government officials at the InterContinental New York Barclay.

Organized in partnership with global mining leader Newmont and Washington Global Advisors, the high-level dialogue focused on moving beyond traditional foreign aid toward robust commercial partnerships built on mutual economic production.

Prime Minister Marape prioritized Papua New Guinea’s strategic position as a free-market economy, a stable democratic ally to the United States, and a vital commercial gateway positioned directly at the doorstep of the massive Asian marketplace.

“Our message to the American business community during this UNGA week is clear: Papua New Guinea is moving from aid to trade,” said Prime Minister Marape.

“We want American companies to come in, utilize our special economic incentives, and achieve strong returns on investment while simultaneously driving local employment and economic growth. We protect our investors, and our legal architecture ensures that agreements are robustly honoured perpetually.”

Key Highlights and Strategic Developments:

• Diversifying a Rapidly Growing Economy: The Prime Minister highlighted that the PNG economy has doubled in size since he took office in 2019, with the government on track to deliver a balanced budget by next year.
• Major Resource Anchors: The address reaffirmed the value of landmark U.S. natural resource investments—such as ExxonMobil’s upcoming $14.5 billion Papua LNG project and Newmont’s world-class Lihir and Wafi-Golpu gold and copper operations.
• Emerging Sector Opportunities: Prime Minister Marape urged American businesses to look toward diversification, inviting immediate public-private collaboration across clean energy (hydro, geothermal, and solar), sustainable agriculture, upscale fisheries processing for premium U.S. markets, and digital infrastructure capitalizing on the nationwide rollout of SpaceX’s Starlink.
• Strong U.S. Government Backing: The roundtable featured key remarks from Michael G. DeSombre, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who strongly validated PNG’s investment potential.“The relationship between the United States and Papua New Guinea has never been stronger… it is trade, not aid, which is the main driver of economic growth,” Assistant Secretary DeSombre stated, referencing the historic US-PNG Framework for Strategic Cooperation and the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA).
• A Secure Environment for Capital: Prime Minister Marape dismissed sensationalized headlines regarding safety in the country, noting that PNG possesses an exceptionally independent, tough judiciary that rigorously safeguards legitimate business contracts. He highlighted his government’s further modernizing of the country’s commercial environment by introducing international-standard arbitration, mediation, and a new appellate court system.

The event concluded with a moderated Q&A session led by BCIU Vice President Max Horwitz, featuring direct dialogue with cross-industry executives eager to expand their footprint in the Pacific.

Official Delegation and Participant List

Papua New Guinea Delegation

• Hon. James Marape – Prime Minister
• Hon. Justin Tkatchenko – Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Fred Sarufa – Permanent Representative to the United Nations
• Sir Arnold Amet – Ambassador to the United States
• Buri Gari – Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations

United States Government Officials

• Michael G. DeSombre – Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Phillip Euell – Senior Advisor, Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Daniel Kennedy – Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Ambassador Matthew Murray – Deputy Assistant Secretary for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
• Ambassador Ann Marie Yastishock – Senior Advisor, Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs, U.S. Department of State

Private Sector Leaders & Institutional Co-Hosts

• Nat Adams – Director, Government Relations, Newmont
• Dr. Hamza Alsarhan – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, OpsHeaven Technologies
• Tariq Al-Serhan – Assistant Director, Financial Engineering, Moody’s
• Philip Bay – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Washington Global Advisors
• Nathan Benson – Head of Projects, Governful
• Caitlin Burton – Chief Executive Officer, Global Business, Zipline International
• Hugh Carroll – Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Fortinet
• Ambassador Kelley Currie – Senior Advisor, East-West Center
• Victor Gonzalez – Corporate Vice President, Business Development, Xcalibur Multiphysics Group
• Max Horwitz – Vice President, BCIU
• Nikolce Jovanovski – Managing Director, Pela Global
• Fraser Leckie – Program Officer, East Asia and the Pacific, BCIU
• Terry Liu – Vice President, Resecurity
• Richard Steffens – Managing Director, TTSE Tech
• Graham Talbot – Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Wetstone
• Sarah Thorn – Vice President, Global Government Affairs, Walmart
• Peter Tichansky – President and Chief Executive Officer, BCIU
• John Wynn – Senior Vice President, Government Solutions, World Fuel – A World Kinect Company

About BCIU

The Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that facilitates dialogue and builds alliances between world leaders and the global business community to expand international trade and commerce.