The United Nations (UN) and Fiji Government have renewed their commitment in creating a better and brighter future for every child in Fiji.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Cooperatives, Manoa Kamikamica and the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) on Violence Against Children (VAC), Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid met in Suva on Monday to further reaffirm their commitment.
Dr M’jid was accompanied by the UN Resident Coordinator to the Pacific UN Country Team, Sanaka Samarasinha and the UNICEF Pacific Representative, Jonathan Veitch.
Dr. M’jid’s first visit to Fiji is an important step towards strengthening Fiji and the UN partnership to empower children and build an inclusive, peaceful, just and resilient society that ‘leaves no one behind.’
It will be a platform for her to engage with key stakeholders to support and mobilize further action on child rights, as well as promote good practices and progressive partnerships at all levels.
Dr. M’jid’s meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Kamikamica highlighted prospects for partnership in key sectors such as child protection, social welfare, justice, education and health, climate change.
Kamikamica said Dr M’jid’s timely visit to Fiji symbolizes Fiji and UN’s shared commitment on providing for the wellbeing of all children.
He commended Dr. M’jid for being a strong advocate for protecting the rights of the children and also acknowledged the support provided to Fiji by the UN Resident Office and UNICEF Pacific.
At the same time, he reaffirmed the Fiji Government’s commitment to work closely with the UN Pacific in delivering quality care and nurture conducive environment for every child in Fiji to reach their full potential in life.
Kamikamica thanked Dr. M’jid for the discussions they had on building a unified approach to the development and wellbeing of children in Fiji.
He conveyed his best wishes to Dr. M’jid for the deliberations she will undertake in Fiji over the next few days.
In response, Dr. M’jid said she is grateful for the opportunity to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minster for Women and Children, Lynda Tabuya and other key stakeholders during her visit to Fiji.
“The purpose of my visit is to build on the strong political commitment and progress already achieved in tackling violence against children, while identifying effective ways to overcome the remaining challenges.
“I count on learning more about Fiji’s work in this area, sharing experiences from other countries and regions, and promoting further investment in integrated approaches to violence prevention and response,” Dr. M’jid said.
