Hon Rimbink Pato, OBE

Hon Rimbink Pato, OBE is an esteemed Papua New Guinean statesman and constitutional lawyer. He was the longest-serving Foreign Minister in the history of Papua New Guinea (2012-2019) and one of the longest-serving in the world. After leaving Parliament, Mr Pato was appointed Prime Ministerial Special Envoy by Prime Minister James Marape MP.

As Foreign Minister, Mr Pato played prominent roles in regional and international multilateral processes, most notably as chair of the Pacific Islands Leaders’ Forum, as well as the Forum’s Foreign Ministers meeting, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, and the 2018 APEC Ministerial Forum.

Mr Pato was awarded an Order of British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his services to the community and law.