[Excerpt translation provided by Business and Human Rights Resource Centre]

"Surprise in Papua New Guinea: Prime Minister Refuses to Renew License for Major Gold Mine" - July 29, 2020

...In an unexpected move, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape announced on April 24 that the concession contract for one of the country's largest gold mines would not be renewed. This decision started an intense debate about the future of the mining sector, a key pillar of the Papua New Guinea economy... Marape's decision has started an intense discussion in Papua New Guinea: the Porgera mine, whose license will not be renewed, is an important international investment in the country. The mine is managed by Barrick Niugini Limited (BNL), a joint venture between Canada's Barrick Gold, China's Zijin Mining, the provincial government of Enga and the landowners in Porgera . The issue of the Porgera mine concession has rekindled earlier discussions about what constitutes a fair deal to allow companies to extract the country's limited resources. This will remain a contentious issue, but any action taken by the Government will have a lasting impact on the country's economic future...