EUROPEAN Union together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community SPC and Solomon Islands Government has successfully completed the youth’s deep sea mining debate, Thursday night.
The debate involves 14 youths and student from various high schools around Honiara after a weeklong series of information gathering and sessions about the good and bad sides of the issue.
In his opening remarks before the debate on, Minister of Mines David Daypacha said, “Deep Sea Mining is an emergent mining within the Pacific Islands.
But we must be very careful and to take a well considered research and approach about the industry. We need to be fully informed of its impacts before taking steps into it.
We need to develop appropriate legislations for the industry.
He urged the SPC to develop and provide unbiased information for the Pacific island if it was to venture into the industry.
“SPC needs to develop and provide accurate and unbiased information for the pacific Islands if we were to venture into the industry, seeing that Papua New Guinea is experimenting with it.”
The Judge for the debate was highly qualified people including Dr Jimmy Rodgers, and Rose Abana of the Chamber of Commerce.
The Debate was hosted by the European Union, SPC and the Solomon Islands Government.
SPC initiated this debate in an effort to increase public awareness on issues relating to deep seabed minerals in the Pacific, including Solomon Islands.
Solomon Star