WESTERN HIGHLANDS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FORUM 2004

• facilitate unity among all Western Highlands’ leaders;
• advocate a common understanding and vision;
• help develop the province’s vast human resource potential;
• serve as a “think tank” institution;
• collectively cultivate ideas, strategies, and plans needed to guide Western Highlands and Papua New Guinea to economic prosperity. 

BACKGROUND
The Western Highlands Leadership Development Forum is a pioneer volunteer initiative founded in January 2004. The forum is a brainchild of Samson Komati Yuimb, a native of Western Highlands. The forum is headed by the "Interim Organizing Members". Each member is a professional Western Highlander, highly educated, having a stable career, and by his or her own right a leader. The one-day forum will be held in March of 2004 and is scheduled to attract a convergence of over 500 leaders of Western Highlands. Business men and women, professional career men and women (in all fields of work) within government, private, and non-profit sectors, along with all the community and women leaders of Western Highlands will come together to show solidarity in mind, express appreciation, and to celebrate the achievements of Western Highlanders. Furthermore, the "cream of the crop" of Western Highlands will congregate in Port Moresby to share ideas, visions, and dreams about how we should together develop Western Highlands and Papua New Guinea in the years ahead. Senior Western Highlands' leaders in the likes of Rt. Hon. Paias Wingti, Thomas Negints, Paul Pora, Patrick Kolta, Simon Korowa, Simon Kaiwi, Peter Pena, Professor John Nongorr, and many others have been invited to attend among the hundreds of Western Highlanders that are invited. 

Massive publicity of the forum will begin in February of 2004. Registration forms will be made available nationwide through our local dailies, The National and Post Courier. EMTV and radio stations throughout the country will run awareness and open invitations regarding this forum in February until March. The forum will be an annual event that will remain a volunteer-organized, politically-neutral, and publicly-independent avenue for communication among the "cream of the crop" of Western Highlands.

FUTURE PLANS
It is envisioned that this forum will gradually evolve into an independent body, registered with the Papua New Guinea Registrar of Companies as a non-profit-making agency, and serve to fulfill the above stated purposes. The organization will be funded annually through membership subscription, donations, and grants. The organization will be operational with full-time staff that is headed by an Executive Director, who will report to the Board of Directors. The board will be headed by a Chairperson. The board members will have been chosen through a voting system by the subscribed members of the forum. The board and management of the organization will have a Code of Ethics and Constitution.

The principal activities that will be performed by the staff, management, and board of this organization will be to:

• Prospect and secure scholarship, aid, grant opportunities throughout the world so that qualified Western Highlanders may be pooled to apply, be funded, and complete certificate, diploma, undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, or specialized courses - all with the sole hope to develop the humman resource potential of every young man and woman of the province.
• Prospect and secure loans, grants, aid national and international organizations to finance community development projects in Western Highlands.
• Explore business opportunities nationwide and worldwide, and feed such information to all our members so that those who are interested and are able may be able to venture into these opportunities.
• Organize and conduct nationwide forums, conferences, and related social gatherings to allow the building of personal and professional relationships among Western Highlanders.
• Publish academic materials, where neccessary, to inspire and encourage the growth intellectuals and academics among the Western Highlanders.
• Promote the socio-economic development of Western Highlands.
• Develop a database of all the educated leaders of every tribe in Western Highlands.
• Create and maintain a profile of Western Highlands through up-to-date information.
• Encourage nation-building starting at the provincial level.

DONATIONS
Nothing is free. Equally, nothing done voluntarily is free. For everything, there is a price tag. This forum is a dream of one man, but is shared by many. From your heart, if you believe in this vision and know that such is possible, please donate. You can make your pledge of donation when ever you are ready. Membership subscriptions will be in place but are different from donations. Subscriptions are compulsory while donations are voluntary. Contact us after you have decided to help in making this vision a reality through your generous donations.

Thank you for your attention and see you at the forum!