Commissioning ceremony for Fiji’s new High Commissioner to Australia
THE President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere, officiated at the commissioning of Fiji’s new High Commissioner to Australia, Mr David Kolitagane, at the State House recently.
Permanent Secretary for the Office of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs, Yogesh Karan, was also in attendance at the commissioning ceremony.
President Katonivere congratulated High Commissioner Kolitagane on his diplomatic appointment and wished him well in the new role.
High Commissioner Kolitagane extended his sincere appreciation to the Fijian Government for the opportunity to serve in this important position to advance the Vuvale Partnership to new heights.
He said the two nations share historical links and Fiji was “forever grateful to our Vuvale for their unwavering support to Fiji in times of great need, particularly for assisting Fiji’s national recovery efforts at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis”.
Mr Kolitagane reaffirmed his commitment to do his utmost best to deepen collaboration at all levels for the mutual benefit of both nations and the Pacific’s prosperity.
He said the Vuvale Partnership will be instrumental in the implementation of the “2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent” which was now the North Star and the overarching blueprint to advance Pacific regionalism for the next three decades.
In his new role, Mr 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. At the Conference of Parties 27 (COP27) in Egypt this month, Fiji worked closely 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 will enable this unique “Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Centre” to contribute immensely to regional humanitarian disaster responses in years to come.
He 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, Australia, Mr Kolitagane had a series of meetings with senior officials of the Fijian Government to discuss potential areas of cooperation.
The FHCC, he said, will 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 7 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.