New Zealand is to contribute $2 million to the United Nations Development Programme in Papua, Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced after meeting his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda in Jakarta today.

“Papua is one of the least-developed regions in Indonesia, with 39 per cent of the population living in poverty. Infant and child mortality rates are worryingly high, while access to clean water and adequate sanitation, and to primary and secondary education is extremely limited,” Mr Peters said.

“This is a substantial addition to New Zealand’s existing involvement in development work in Papua, and it underlines our commitment to working with Indonesia to improve social and economic development there.”

New Zealand’s contribution to the UNDP-led ‘People Centred Development’ programme will be managed by NZAID, the government’s aid agency.

Mr Peters said growing levels of cooperation between New Zealand and Indonesia, particularly in policing, led today’s meeting, which was the first-ever Ministerial-led joint dialogue between the two countries.

“Indonesia is a very important partner for New Zealand, politically and economically – as our ninth largest market – and the warm and constructive nature of today’s meeting shows that the relationship is growing strongly.

“We agreed that the results of greater cooperation between our two police forces had been very encouraging, given the importance of combating terrorist threats and trans-national crime in South East Asia, which underscored the value of New Zealand establishing a second police liaison position in Jakarta.

“We also touched on our renewed defence relationship, which resumed in a limited form last year after being suspended in 1999, and we agreed that immigration, education, and business links should also be strengthened.

“Discussions also covered the election process in Timor-Leste and Aceh; the situation in North Korea and Iran; further cooperation between us in ASEAN and the United Nations, and Indonesia’s leading role in the Interfaith Dialogue process, which will see Dr Wirajuda attend meetings in New Zealand later this month,” Mr Peters said.