Fiji's Permanent Representative to the U.N, Peter Thompson addressed the Press Conference and outlined some background and explained the genesis of Fiji's decision to chair the G77 group. (Video posted below)
Club Em Designs
Club Em Designs
Showing posts with label Peter Thompson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Thompson. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
G77 Group Executive Secretary's Press Conference on Fiji.
Press Conference at Fiji Government Building by Mr Mourad Ahmia - Executive Secretary of G77 Group, the largest group of nations within the U.N.
Mr Ahmia touched on the changing leadership and the 2013 agenda of the group. Ahmia further expressed confidence in Fiji in chairing the group and pledged his support.
(Video posted below)
Saturday, June 23, 2012
X-Post-Grubsheet: #99 SMALL COUNTRY, BIG VOICE
By Graham Davis
The sight of Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Peter Thomson, chairing the General Assembly is yet another reminder
that although Fiji is a relatively small country, it punches way above
its weight. This week, Peter has been Acting President of the General
Assembly, conducting the everyday business of the UN from the famous
podium that has produced some of history’s most memorable images – from
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat waving his pistol to Soviet leader Nikita Kruschev banging his shoe. Along with hundreds of speeches from everyone from Che Guevara to Nelson Mandela, from the Queen to Frank Bainimarama.
It was especially apt that with Ambassador Thomson in the chair, the
General Assembly considered reports about the financing of UN
peacekeeping operations. This is what really makes Fiji an indispensable
member of the club of nations – its ability and willingness to provide
troops to wear the UN blue beret in some of the world’s toughest places.
All Fijians owe a great debt to the men and women of the military
who’ve given their unstinting service – and sometimes their lives – to
improving the lives of ordinary people in the Middle East and elsewhere
by protecting them from conflict. And for sending the money they earn
home to help support their communities in Fiji.
It’s made heroes in the most unlikely places of tough but softly
spoken people from island villages on the far side of the world. And
it’s given a country of which many would otherwise never have heard
gratitude and respect. Yes, Fiji gets an important source of revenue
from its peacekeeping operations. But it remains one of the few nations
able and willing to put its troops in the firing line to defend the UN
ideal of collective responsibility for all the world’s people.
Graham Davis
" Peter has worked tirelessly for the country’s interests, shifting the axis of its global relationships from its traditional western allies to a policy of being “a friend to all”. He has spearheaded the Bainimarama government’s Look North Policy, launched formal diplomatic relations with more than three dozen countries and organised its membership of the Non Aligned Movement[...]
Fiji gain the benefit of lining up with some of the biggest players of the Asia Pacific region, the global powerhouse of the 21st century. And it has moved these countries out from under the skirts of their “big brothers” Australia and New Zealand, which belong to an entirely separate UN bloc – the Western European and Others Group. "
Peter Thomson is the latest in a long line of Fijians who’ve
represented the country in New York, starting with the late Semesa
Sikivou at the time of independence in 1970. He has had a remarkable
personal and professional history. The son of Sir Ian Thomson– one of
the most respected administrators of the colonial era who stayed on to
head the sugar industry and Air Pacific – Peter began his career as a
district officer in Fiji and was then a diplomat in Tokyo and Sydney. He
was Permanent Secretary for Information when – with a pistol on the
table – Sitiveni Rabuka forced him to write the formal announcement of
the first coup of 1987. Then, after he became permanent secretary to the
then governor-general, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, Peter became a target
of ethno-nationalist extremists in the second coup of the same year. He
was tracked down and thrown into a prison cell for several days before
being forced to leave the country altogether.
Peter effectively spent more than 20 years in exile, first in New Zealand and then Australia, where he became a successful writer and authored Kava in the Blood, a compelling account of his life in Fiji. Then out of the blue three years ago came a call from Frank Bainimarama’s office. Would he agree to represent Fiji at the UN?
Would he ever. Grubsheet – an old friend – recalls the immense satisfaction for Peter in being recalled to represent his country of birth. It was as if his life had come full circle, the lifting of a two-decade long punctuation mark in his career of service to Fiji.
In New York, Peter has worked tirelessly for the country’s interests, shifting the axis of its global relationships from its traditional western allies to a policy of being “a friend to all”. He has spearheaded the Bainimarama government’s Look North Policy, launched formal diplomatic relations with more than three dozen countries and organised its membership of the Non Aligned Movement. He has vigorously pursued Fiji’s interests in such areas as tackling global warming and rising sea levels, preserving the maritime environment and, of course, the peacekeeping operations that are so important to the country’s economy and prestige. And he has played a vital role in batting off attempts by Australia and New Zealand to have Fiji excluded from those operations as punishment for the 2006 coup.
Even more importantly, perhaps, Peter has taken steps to
fundamentally lift Fiji’s status in the global community. He was a prime
mover in the formation of the UN voting bloc known as the Pacific Small
Island Developing States (PSIDS), which gives Pacific nations a far
bigger voice in global affairs by acting in concert. PSIDS has succeeded
in joining the Asian Group at the UN, which is now officially known as
the Asian and Pacific Small Island Developing States Group. This means
countries like Fiji gain the benefit of lining up with some of the
biggest players of the Asia Pacific region, the global powerhouse of the
21st century. And it has moved these countries out from
under the skirts of their “big brothers” Australia and New Zealand,
which belong to an entirely separate UN bloc – the Western European and
Others Group.
The strategic importance of such a re-alignment cannot be overstated. It certainly underlines a fundamental truth about life in the global village for small nations like Fiji. They may not have the ability to project the same power and influence as their bigger neighbours. But in the UN system, it’s numbers, not brawn, that really counts, except for the five permanent members of the Security Council, who enjoy powers of veto. Every other nation gets just one vote. And that is certainly exercising the minds of the Australians right now as they mount a global campaign to get a temporary Security Council seat. Given Canberra’s present hostility towards Fiji, it certainly cannot expect to get Fiji’s support.
Peter Thomson, of course, is a cog in the wheel of Fiji’s
international relationships, albeit a big one. His ultimate boss, Ratu
Inoke Kubuabola has been a successful foreign minister and the two
enjoy a close relationship as they work with other ambassadors and
diplomatic staff to further Fiji’s international ties. And they, in
turn, have the confidence of the Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama,
who’s become an effective advocate himself both for Fiji and the region
in global forums – most recently at the environment summit in Brazil.
However much the regime’s critics might decry Commodore Bainimarama’s
penchant for globe-trotting, a small country’s loudest voice will always
come from its leader and lower-level representation rarely has the same
impact. It’s simply a fact of life that for Fiji to be heard, the Prime
Minister needs to travel widely to properly put its case.
It was Bainimarama who hand picked Peter Thomson for the UN job.
Their fathers had known each other in the 1960s when Thomson Senior was
Commissioner Western and Bainimarama Senior was the region’s Supervisor
of Prisons. Almost half a century on, Grubsheet is pleased to have
played a minor part in re-establishing the connection when – after an
interview with the Prime Minister- we talked about the old days in the
West and I mentioned that Peter and I got together regularly in Sydney
to talanoa about Fiji. Bainimarama’s eyes lit up and while he
didn’t say so at the time, he evidently began mulling over the
possibility of using Peter in some senior role.
Soon afterwards, Peter began a private mission – financed by veteran Fiji businessmen Mark Johnson and Dick Smith – to try to bridge the gap between Fiji and its Australian and NZ critics. He went to Port Moresby to enlist the support of the PNG leader, Sir Michael Somare, and the initiative produced the first meeting of the respective parties for some time.
That was in 2009. Three years on and Ambassador Thomson is chairing the United Nations General Assembly. It’s a triumphant personal story, the Kai Valagi (European) civil servant removed at gunpoint and forced to leave Fiji now sitting as moderator and adjudicator at the pinnacle of global affairs. But it’s also one of the triumphs of Bainimarama’s determination to use the best people- irrespective of race – to present Fiji’s face to the world. To see my old mate sitting there on the UN podium – Fiji Water bottle by his side – fills me with pride, as it surely must others who hope that Fiji’s best days as a united, prosperous, multiracial nation lie ahead.
Club Em Designs
– June 22, 2012Posted in: All
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| Fiji chairs the UN General Assembly (Photo: UN) |
 |
| Thirsty work: Peter Thomson (l) with his Fiji Water within reach (Photo:UN) |
 |
| Fijian UN peacekeepers ( photo: UN) |
 |
| Ambassador Semesa Sikivou (r) with UN Secretary General U Thant in 1970 ( Photo: UN) |
Graham Davis
" Peter has worked tirelessly for the country’s interests, shifting the axis of its global relationships from its traditional western allies to a policy of being “a friend to all”. He has spearheaded the Bainimarama government’s Look North Policy, launched formal diplomatic relations with more than three dozen countries and organised its membership of the Non Aligned Movement[...]
Fiji gain the benefit of lining up with some of the biggest players of the Asia Pacific region, the global powerhouse of the 21st century. And it has moved these countries out from under the skirts of their “big brothers” Australia and New Zealand, which belong to an entirely separate UN bloc – the Western European and Others Group. "
Peter effectively spent more than 20 years in exile, first in New Zealand and then Australia, where he became a successful writer and authored Kava in the Blood, a compelling account of his life in Fiji. Then out of the blue three years ago came a call from Frank Bainimarama’s office. Would he agree to represent Fiji at the UN?
 |
| Ambassador Peter Thomson with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon ( Photo:UN) |
Would he ever. Grubsheet – an old friend – recalls the immense satisfaction for Peter in being recalled to represent his country of birth. It was as if his life had come full circle, the lifting of a two-decade long punctuation mark in his career of service to Fiji.
In New York, Peter has worked tirelessly for the country’s interests, shifting the axis of its global relationships from its traditional western allies to a policy of being “a friend to all”. He has spearheaded the Bainimarama government’s Look North Policy, launched formal diplomatic relations with more than three dozen countries and organised its membership of the Non Aligned Movement. He has vigorously pursued Fiji’s interests in such areas as tackling global warming and rising sea levels, preserving the maritime environment and, of course, the peacekeeping operations that are so important to the country’s economy and prestige. And he has played a vital role in batting off attempts by Australia and New Zealand to have Fiji excluded from those operations as punishment for the 2006 coup.
 |
| Frank Bainimarama addresses the UN (Photo:UN) |
The strategic importance of such a re-alignment cannot be overstated. It certainly underlines a fundamental truth about life in the global village for small nations like Fiji. They may not have the ability to project the same power and influence as their bigger neighbours. But in the UN system, it’s numbers, not brawn, that really counts, except for the five permanent members of the Security Council, who enjoy powers of veto. Every other nation gets just one vote. And that is certainly exercising the minds of the Australians right now as they mount a global campaign to get a temporary Security Council seat. Given Canberra’s present hostility towards Fiji, it certainly cannot expect to get Fiji’s support.
 |
| An effective foreign minister: Ratu Inoke Kubuabola ( Photo:UN) |
 |
| His Excellency in his previous incarnation as an author (Photo: Peter Thomson) |
Soon afterwards, Peter began a private mission – financed by veteran Fiji businessmen Mark Johnson and Dick Smith – to try to bridge the gap between Fiji and its Australian and NZ critics. He went to Port Moresby to enlist the support of the PNG leader, Sir Michael Somare, and the initiative produced the first meeting of the respective parties for some time.
That was in 2009. Three years on and Ambassador Thomson is chairing the United Nations General Assembly. It’s a triumphant personal story, the Kai Valagi (European) civil servant removed at gunpoint and forced to leave Fiji now sitting as moderator and adjudicator at the pinnacle of global affairs. But it’s also one of the triumphs of Bainimarama’s determination to use the best people- irrespective of race – to present Fiji’s face to the world. To see my old mate sitting there on the UN podium – Fiji Water bottle by his side – fills me with pride, as it surely must others who hope that Fiji’s best days as a united, prosperous, multiracial nation lie ahead.
Club Em Designs
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Australia's Foreign/Domestic Policy-Made In Iron Bark?
Banjo Patterson's poem "The Man From Iron Bark" does present a supposition, that is more or less equivalent to Australia's dithering Foreign Policy.
Courtesy of Croz Walsh blog an ABC 'Counter Point' interview with Peter Thompson, a former Fiji diplomat, who labeled Australia's smart sanctions on Fiji, as disastrous.
The interview is posted below on MP3 player.
Not surprising that same cumbersome approach in Australian Foreign policy has chilled relations with China, according to Kuwait Times article.
Courtesy of Croz Walsh blog an ABC 'Counter Point' interview with Peter Thompson, a former Fiji diplomat, who labeled Australia's smart sanctions on Fiji, as disastrous.
The interview is posted below on MP3 player.
Not surprising that same cumbersome approach in Australian Foreign policy has chilled relations with China, according to Kuwait Times article.
Australia's own image of being a benevolent defender of Aboriginal rights, has since been reduced to mere rhetoric after the release of the UN Human Rights report by James Anaya, the Special Rapporteur. New Zealand Herald article, tags the Australian treatment of its native population as "abusive".
Excerpt of Reuter's article:
Excerpt of Reuter's article:
UN critical of Australian Aboriginal intervention
By James Grubel
CANBERRA (Reuters) - A senior United Nations official condemned on Thursday Australia's controversial intervention into remote Aboriginal communities, describing the measures as discriminatory and finding entrenched racism in Australia.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous People, James Anaya, made the findings after a 12-day visit to Australia, where he visited indigenous communities and held talks with the Australian government.
Australia's former conservative government sent police and troops to remote Aboriginal communities in June 2007, and made special bans on alcohol and pornography, to stamp out widespread child sex abuse fueled by chronic alcoholism.
"These measures overtly discriminate against aboriginal peoples, infringe their right of self-determination and stigmatize already stigmatized communities," Anaya told reporters in Canberra. Anaya, the first UN Rapporteur on Indigenous People to visit Aboriginal communities, congratulated Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for his 2008 parliamentary apology to Australia's Aborigines for historical injustices.
But he said it was clear the entrenched racism of the past remained, and the ongoing intervention into communities in the Northern Territory continued to discriminate against Aborigines.
LIFE EXPECTANCY GAP
Rudd has made indigenous affairs a priority of his government and promised to end the 17-year gap in life expectancy between Aborigines and other Australians.
Rudd has said he would continue the controversial intervention, which has widespread support across Australia but has been strongly criticized by some Aboriginal groups.
Anaya's comments will increase the pressure on Rudd to review parts of the intervention, particularly measures that quarantine welfare payments to make sure a proportion of the payments is spent on food, clothing and healthcare.
An independent review last year found the intervention affected 45,500 Aboriginal men, women and children in more than 500 Northern Territory communities, and progress on healthcare and security were undermined by a lack of full community support.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the government was determined to restore laws to outlaw racial discrimination in the Northern Territory and welcomed Anaya's visit.
"I think what's important is that we recognize we have a huge task in front of us to close the gap, to close the life expectancy gap, the employment gap, the gap in education," Macklin told reporters.
"We know how big the task is and we certainly intend to keep getting on with it."
Australia's 460,000 Aborigines make up about 2 percent of the population. They suffer higher rates of unemployment, substance abuse and domestic violence than other Australians.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
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