Ambassador Kolitagane to Advance Vuvale Partnership
PMr Kolitagane aspires to strengthen development cooperation between the two nations in the following areas: Health, education, tourism, trade and investment, labour mobility, sports, defence, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, amongst others.
resident Ratu Viliame Katonivere, officiated at the commissioning of Fiji’s new High Commissioner to Australia, David Kolitagane, at the State House on Tuesday morning.
Office of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Yogesh Karan also.
President Katonivere congratulated Mr Kolitagane on his diplomatic appointment and wished him well in the new role.
Mr Kolitagane extended his sincere appreciation to Government for the opportunity to serve in this important position to advance the Vuvale Partnership to new heights.
Mr Kolitagane said the two nations shared historical links and Fiji was forever grateful to our Vuvale for their unwavering support to Fiji in times of great need.
This is particularly for assisting Fiji’s national recovery efforts at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis.
He reaffirmed his commitment to do his best to deepen collaboration at all levels for the mutual benefit of both nations and the Pacific’s prosperity. He said the Vuvale Partnership would be instrumental in the implementation of the “2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent”. This is our North Star and the overarching blueprint to advance Pacific regionalism for the next three decades.
What role entails
In his new role, High Commissioner Kolitagane looks forward to Australia’s continued support to further enhance employment opportunities for Fijians through the
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme that benefits many families in the Pacific.
COP27
As world leaders converge at COP27 in Egypt this week, Fiji is working with development partners like Australia to mobilise support for its Pacific family at this global climate conference.
On regional security cooperation, Mr Kolitagane said Fiji-Australia joint efforts on the Blackrock Camp would enable this unique “Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Centre”. This is aimed to contributing to regional humanitarian disaster responses in years to come.
Mr Kolitagane aspires to strengthen development cooperation between the two nations in the following areas: Health, education, tourism, trade and investment, labour mobility, sports, defence, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief, amongst others.
In preparation for his new role at the Fiji High Commission in Canberra (FHCC), Australia, High Commissioner Kolitagane is having a series of meetings with senior officials of the Fijian Government to discuss potential areas of cooperation. The FHCC, he said, would redouble efforts to enhance cooperation with the Fijian Diaspora in Australia to promote diaspora investment in their areas of specific interest.
Mr Kolitagane attained a distinguished career in the Fijian civil service with valuable contributions and more than seven years of service in leadership roles across various ministries and most recently he served as the Permanent Secretary for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management.