Meet Ambassador Hon. Mr. Amenatave V Yauvoli

Shivneet Kumar 3/21/23 Shivneet Kumar 3/21/23

Meet Ambassador Hon. Mr. Ishoda

Meet Ambassador Hon. Mr. Ishoda. He is the Senior Vice-Patron of UNA Fiji. As our Patron, he acts as our Ambassador, Adviser, and Motivator.

Ambassador Mr. Ishoda is the Ambassador of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to the Republic of Korea. He had previously served as the 7th Ambassador appointed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands to Fiji, the Pacific Islands, and the Regional Organizations based in Suva with core responsibilities as key political advisor to the President and Cabinet members and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Prior to his appointment, he was the Charge‘d Affaires and later the Deputy Chief of Mission for the RMI Embassy in Fiji. Responsibilities included the advancement of RMI's political, social, economical, and cultural agenda for Fiji, Regional Organizations, and Pacific Island Countries. Key outputs included the greater regional integration of RMI’s Climate Change Policy and Nuclear Justice agenda within key institutions and across Pacific narratives.

Ambassador Mr. Ishoda had been a key technical lead in regional policy development and reforms of the political, economical, and social issues across different Pacific Leaders Agenda, which includes the Blue Pacific Narrative, the Boe Declaration, and other important regional agendas placing RMI's interests for implementation strategies.

As a principle political advisor, His Excellency has chaired and participated in many regional working committees that have advanced RMI's political position and negotiation leverage in key regional outcomes and strategies.

In his several years of work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has worked in different capacities from senior policy advisor for Multilateral Environmental Agreements, negotiator to on climate change, including a member of the 2013-2015 national team leading negotiations towards the Paris Agreement. He was also involved as a negotiator for the SIDS SAMOA Pathway 2015 and the 2030 Global Development Agenda (SDG2030).

In recent developments, Ambassador Mr. Ishoda has been highly involved in the Pacific Islands Forum Officials’ discussions in the policy decision-making processes and garnering support for the national interests of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In addition, he has been co-leading the discussions around the proposal submitted by the RMI and the Solomon Islands to the IMO on GHG levy, which aims to incentivize the international shipping sector to transition from heavy fuel intake to a more sustainable and low carbon industry. He had been one of the influential advocates in rallying Global support for an International Carbon Levy and the recent submission for zero emissions and carbon neutrality no later than 2050 leaving none behind

He’s been recognized as a key lead in the Micronesian sub-grouping in Suva where he provides strategic knowledge and advice around arising issues and providing possible solutions to minimize such political and regional strains.

During his tenure as a Diplomat, Ambassador Mr. Ishoda has served under three Governments.

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Shivneet Kumar 3/14/23 Shivneet Kumar 3/14/23

Meet Hon. Mr. Mohammed Moshin Khan

Meet Hon. Mr. Mohammed Moshin Khan. He was appointed as the Auditor of the UNA Fiji in July 2019. His key responsibilities are to review the accounts, to ensure the validity and legality of our financial records. Furthermore, acting in an advisory role to recommend possible risk aversion measures and cost savings that could be made. This service provided by Mr. Khan is on a pro bono basis. His relationship goes back to 2015 when he got elected as the Treasurer of UNA Fiji and served until June 2019.

Mr. Khan has over 9 years of commercial experience in the areas of managing all accounting functions of a company, Audit Assurance, Business Advisory Services, Tax functions, Management of Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Division, Debtors & Creditors management, timely delivery of assigned financials and key client account management, compliance management, relationship management with key stakeholders, business analysis.

He is currently employed as the Finance Manager at Walesi Pte Limited (Current-2018). Before this role, he was employed as the Head of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises Division/ Senior Accountant – Audit Assurance & Business Advisory) at Aliz Pacific Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors. As an Audit Officer, he worked at Vision Group Fiji Ltd. His first full-time employment was as an Accountant & Relocation Co-ordinator at JVK International Movers. As to getting first-hand experience of the sector, he began as an Attaché at the Department of Financial Accounting at the Fiji National University (FNU).

Mr. Khan is a Member of the Fiji Institute of Accountants has acquired all his qualifications from FNU, which are as follows; Masters in Accounting in 2020, A Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting IN 2018. A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Management 2013 and an Advanced Diploma in Accounting in 2012.

Mr. Khan is a Car and Motorsport Enthusiast. He also loves spending time with his family. He originally is from Talaiya in Ba and currently resides in Nasinu.

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Shivneet Kumar 3/8/23 Shivneet Kumar 3/8/23

Meet Hon. Ms. Natalia Sagrario

Meet Hon. Ms. Natalia Sagrario. She is the Strategic Advisor of UNA Fiji. In this role, she provides specialist advice to UNA Fiji on what we need to do and how to do it in order to achieve our objectives. Ms. Sagrario has previously served UNA Fiji as Co-opted Member of the Executive Committee.

Ms. Sagrario is a Spanish consultant in the field of international development and cooperation with more than 12 years of experience. She has worked for universities, multilateral organizations, national governments, international agencies, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations in more than 40 countries in Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the island states of the Indian Ocean and the Middle East. During her consultancies, she has now worked on numerous projects totaling over a billion USD.

She is now an established consultant working for the European Union in monitoring and evaluating and support civil society organizations globally.

Ms. Sagrario acquired a Bachelor in Psychology, with a specialization in Social-Political Psychology from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), Spain in 2008. She further completed a Master’s Degree in International Development Cooperation from the University Institute of Development and Cooperation - Complutense University of Madrid (IUDC-UCM), Spain in 2009. She graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Latin American and Caribbean Economies, from The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) in 2010, Furthermore, she has a University Diploma in South-South and Triangular Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean, from the University Institute of Development and Cooperation - Complutense University of Madrid (IUDC-UCM) Spain in 2015. Additionally, she has University Diploma in Humanitarian Action: Concepts, Legislative Framework, and Actors from the Institute of Conflict and Humanitarian Action Studies (IECAH) Spain in 2011.

Ms. Natalia grew up in Mexico but now resides in Madrid.

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Shivneet Kumar 2/21/23 Shivneet Kumar 2/21/23

Meet Hon. Mr. Ronal Rishay Dip

Meet Hon. Mr. Ronal Rishay Dip. He is the Independent Audit Advisor for UNA Fiji. His primary role is to assist Officers in establishing the best practices and internal control processes in the financial control system within the Association while promoting efficient operation.

He is currently the Managing Partner at Acuity Accounting & Business Consultants firm.

Mr. Ronal is also currently pursuing a MCom in Professional Accounting from the University of the South Pacific. He holds professional membership with the Fiji Institute of Accountants as Chartered Accountant Member, Full CPA Membership with CPA Australia, and Myob Partner with MYOB Partner Program NZ.

While being an Accounting Professional Mr. Ronal has also served as a technical official/ judge with the South Pacific Bodybuilding Federation, a Member of the World bodybuilding & Physique sports federation (WBPF) Affiliated with the Pacific Games Council 2018-2020. He has also served as the Treasurer of the Fiji Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation. He has completed numerous sports management training during his time with Fiji Bodybuilding.

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Shivneet Kumar 2/14/23 Shivneet Kumar 2/14/23

Meet Hon. Ms. Rebecca Irby.

Meet Hon. Ms. Rebecca Irby. She is the Special Advisor and Representative/Delegate of United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji).

Ms. Irby is the Founding Partner and President of PEAC Institute.

Over the last ten years, Ms. Irby has served as an education and technology consultant on diversity and cultural awareness initiatives with the NJ Department of Education, Rutgers University, the National Liberty Museum, Nagoya University, and many others.

Ms. Irby also sits on an advisory board incorporating social skills training into the core programs of schools around the United States.

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Shivneet Kumar 1/31/23 Shivneet Kumar 1/31/23

Meet Hon. Ms. Lorraine Seeto

Meet Hon. Ms. Lorraine Seeto. Ms. Seeto is the Governance Advisor at UNA Fiji. In this role, she provides high-quality leadership guidance, technical support, training to UNA Fiji on Good Governance.

Ms. Seeto is currently the General Manager of the Pacific Corporate Governance Institute (PCGI). The PCGI is endorsed by the Reserve Bank of Fiji, established by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, through the support of the Australian and New Zealand Governments through the Fiji Partnership programme. Ms. Seeto also sits on some boards and committees in Fiji.

Ms. Seeto was with the Reserve Bank of Fiji in an executive role as Chief Manager and Advisor to the Governors. She has also been involved with coordinating events such as the 52nd AGM of the Asian Development Bank in Fiji in May 2019 and various COP and CAPP meetings. She was also associated with the Fiji Institute of Bankers, Fiji Institute of Accountants, University of the South Pacific (USP), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other central banks such as the National Reserve Bank of Tonga and multilateral institutions (World Bank, Bank for International Settlements, etc.)

Ms. Seeto has been awarded the following accolades: Honorary Fellow by Fiji Institute of Bankers, Lifetime Achievement Award by Fiji Institute of Bankers, Women in Business- Excellence and Commitment Award in 2018, and was a Finalist in Leadership in Financial Inclusion 2016 - Alliance for Financial Inclusion. She has also participated in courses and seminars at the International Monetary Fund Institute in Washington D.C., IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute, SEACEN, Swiss National Bank, Reserve Bank of Australia, Asian Development Bank, and Pure Magic.

She holds a Master of Commerce (Economics) from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia along with a Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Accounting) in 1981 from the University of the South Pacific (USP), Suva, Republic of Fiji.

Her motto for life is being occupied and adding value to whatever she does. Ms. Seeto is can also speak her Chinese dialect fluently. Originally from Suva City, she still lives in her family house in the City.

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Shivneet Kumar 1/25/23 Shivneet Kumar 1/25/23

Meet Hon. Ms. Arieta Koila Costello

Photo caption: Hon. Mr. Vipin Maharaj presenting token of appreciation to Ms. Costello during one of the BDTP last year.

Meet Hon. Ms. Arieta Koila Costello. Ms. Costello is the Peace Building Advisor to UNA Fiji. In this role, she provides her expert advice and facilitation on all matters relating to peacebuilding to the Association.

Ms. Costello went to school at Veiuto Primary and Suva Grammar School. She has qualifications in Social Work (BSW) 1992 from the University of Queensland, Post Graduate Diploma in Social Policy and Administration (USP) 2002, Master of Arts in Peacebuilding and Conflict Tranformation (2005), Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA, Professional Diploma in Business Leadership (USP), 2013.

For the last 30 years, she has worked for the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, ECREA, and the Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding. She also did several consultancies on behalf of the NGOs she worked with then in the recent 6 years as an independent consultant for KKasa Consultancies. She has worked with UNDP, UNOHCR, PTC, SPC, PIFS, Dialogue Fiji, Fiji Women’s Forum, ANZ, KPMG, Digicel, Vodafone, Westpac, Howards Law, to name but a few key organizations. Overseas, she has taught classes in Peacebuilding in Women’s Leadership, Leading Healthy Organisations, Training/Design and Facilitation, Trauma Healing and Awareness at the Eastern Mennonite University and locally at the Pacific Theological College and GKI in West Papua.

Ms. Costello has provided services that included designing and facilitating processes for strategic thinking and action, discussing issues, team building, conflict resolution, stress management, and trauma healing. She is also an on-call counselor for Digicel, Vodafone, ANZ, SPC.

Ms. Costello is passionate about working to build healthy relationships in groups, individually, and with the environment.

When she was young she liked collecting hand-carved soap, from her 17th birthday she started collecting crystals which she does to this day. She is a mother to Shaniah and Kevin.

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Shivneet Kumar 1/10/23 Shivneet Kumar 1/10/23

Meet Hon. Mr. Rizwan Hussain

Meet Hon. Mr. Rizwan Hussain. He is the Financial Advisor of UNA Fiji. In this role, he provides specialist advice on how to manage our finances. Mr. Hussian has previously served UNA Fiji as Co-opted Member of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Hussain, an initial Educationist is now a Banker with over 14 years of professional banking experience in Fiji. He is currently the Head of Credit at Merchant Finance. Previously, Mr. Hussain worked at the Westpac Banking Corporation as the Senior Credit Officer. Before joining Westpac, he worked in various roles at Fiji Development Bank for nearly 7 years.

During these years in the Banking industry, he has worked on a variety of tasks relating to research, policy and procedures, credit; risk management, treasury; liquidity risks (actuarial), and finance; budget analysis. The tasks have provided him with the knowledge and understanding of Fiji’s focus sectors and relevant development policies, various lending and non-lending products, customer service, customer relationship, financial institutions; markets, financial risk management, business, and international finance.

Mr. Hussain graduated with Post Graduate Diploma in Economics from the Fiji National University in 2020. He acquired a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 2013, in which he received The Reserve Bank of Fiji Gold Medal for being the outstanding graduate. Before this, he completed a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics and Graduate Certificate in Education in 2007. Mr. Hussain started his career in 2007 as a secondary school teacher at Evanson Learning Centre – Turtle Island, Malolo Islands, Fiji. Where he taught Basic Science, Mathematics & Physics from Year 7 to 13.

Mr. Hussain loves playing soccer and outdoor activities. He usually plays indoor soccer with his friends and colleagues on Sunday mornings. He hails from the Soccer Crazy Town of Ba and now resides in Nasinu.

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Shivneet Kumar 12/28/22 Shivneet Kumar 12/28/22

Meet Hon. Mr. Vikrant Chandra

Meet Hon. Mr. Vikrant Chandra. He is the Legal Adviser of UNA Fiji. His role is to provide Legal Advice and support to UNA Fiji.

Mr. Chandra is a Partner at Millbrook Hills Law Partners (MHLP), a law firm having its offices in Ba and Nadi, Republic of Fiji.

Mr. Chandra believes in the work he does with the firm. MHLP has always believed in establishing a corporate structure, at the same time not forgetting its social responsibility. He has been instrumental in spearheading the establishment and operation of Legal workshops in Ba called "Afternoon Tea with Millbrook Hills". These workshops are free to the general public and include a range of topics, such as Domestic Violence, Estate Planning, and Property matters. The workshop is scheduled to reconvene after the pandemic is under control.

He has taken on some tough cases and provided positive outcomes. One such case is Nadan v State (Supreme Court of Fiji), which extensively discussed the non - parole period. Mr. Chandra believes that one must always have a work/life balance. His passion to help others has always driven him towards consistent hard work. He treats his team members at work as his family and always puts his client’s and his team's interest at heart first.

Mr. Chandra also has a keen interest in sports and youth empowerment and is the President and Legal Adviser to the Fiji Professional Golfers Association. While also serving as the current treasurer of the Fiji Young Lawyers Association.

He is a certified golf professional, has been a member of the New Zealand PGA, and is a current member of the Fiji PGA. Mr. Chandra has also represented Fiji at numerous Golf events, highlights include, The Mini Games, the Pacific Games, and the Eisenhower Teams Trophy in Turkey.

In Fiji, he has won the Amateur Golf Championship 4 years in a row, the blue ribbon event for amateurs before turning professional. This is the most in a row by any player in the history of Fiji.

Mr. Chandra holds a Bachelor’s in Law Degree from the University of the South Pacific (USP) 2011 and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) from the University of Fiji 2012.

His hobbies include playing golf, training in the gym, music, and spending time with family and friends.

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Shivneet Kumar 12/7/22 Shivneet Kumar 12/7/22

Meet Hon. Ms. Shahani Mala

Meet Hon. Ms. Shahani Mala. She is the Executive Committee Member and Communications Team Co-ordinator here at United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji).

Ms. Mala joined UNA Fiji as a trainee under Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP) in 2021. After graduation, she became a member and has been part of the Communications Team.

For Ms. Mala, being part of UNA Fiji has been an inspiring journey. "UNA Fiji is my happy place to be and becoming a member of UNA Fiji is one of the best decisions I have made in my life".

Ms. Mala is known for her punctuality here at UNA Fiji. Whether it be BDTP class on Saturdays or any event, Ms. Mala will always be at the venue before time.

Ms. Mala describes herself as an introvert and does not like to interact or socialize with people much. However, at UNA Fiji she has learnt the importance of interacting and socializing with people through team work.

Apart from this, she has learnt the importance of being calm in any situation, being mindful and the importance of time management.

Ms. Mala looks forward to contributing towards the growth and development of UNA Fiji.

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Shivneet Kumar 12/3/22 Shivneet Kumar 12/3/22

Meet Hon. Mr. Arnold Akshay Krishna

Meet Hon. Mr. Arnold Akshay Krishna. He has been one of the key members behind the growth and development of UNA Fiji.

Although, Mr. Krishna has migrated to Commonwealth of Australia, he is always there for any UNA Fiji work.

Currently, Mr. Krishna is one of the three lifetime Trustees of UNA Fiji who shall continually assist in the management of the Association until such a time that the association is dissolute and/or liquidated.

He has previously been the Treasurer of UNA Fiji from 27 July 2019 to 4 June 2022, furthermore, he served as the Finance Officer from July 2018 until he was elected as Treasurer of UNA Fiji. His key responsibility was to maintain the finances with proper good governance standards and at the same time ensure the financial stability of the association. His role was not confined to the financial side of the organization, but he also helped in managing the Association’s social media pages and carrying out any task assigned by the President, to ensure the smooth running of the Association.

Mr. Krishna joined UNA Fiji in July 2018. In 2019 he was awarded the Commitment and Dedication Award by UNA Fiji.

Mr. Krishna was previously employed at the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) as a Financial Data Analyst a role he has had from September 2018 to December 2021. He started his career at Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission (FCCC) as an intern in 2016.

In 2017 he secured the position of Market Analyst at FCCC. FCCC recognized his contribution and dedication with an Outstanding Contributor Award in 2016.

In 2016 he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with Double Majors in Accounting and Economics from the University of the South Pacific. He deems himself a proud Fijian and is a strong believer in giving back to the community through volunteerism.

Mr. Krishna is a passionate soccer player and loves playing and trying all types of sports, along with being an avid movie-goer. He describes himself as a foodie who also loves cooking. He is originally from the Sugar City, Fiji, and is a die heart fan of Liverpool FC.

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Shivneet Kumar 11/30/22 Shivneet Kumar 11/30/22

Meet Hon. Mr. Mavneel Lal

Meet Hon. Mr. Mavneel Lal. He is a member of Communications Team here at United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji).

Prior to this role, Mr. Lal was the Co-ordinator for the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP) in 2021.

Mr. Lal joined UNA Fiji in 2020 as a trainee and after graduating from the BDTP, he became an active member.

He has also received the Meritorious Award in 2020.

Mr. Lal is originally from Lautoka City, and currently perusing his career in Net-centric Computing at the University of the South Pacific (USP). He has been residing in Suva for the past 4 years and loves the environment with the challenging opportunities.

According to Mr. Lal, being part of UNA Fiji has been an extraordinary journey for him so far and he has captured many wonderful memories of UNA Fiji. "There are many moments and activities that will stay in my memory, but certainly the best experience was when I successfully graduated with the basic level diplomacy programme".

Being part of UNA Fiji, Mr. Lal was able to better his communication skills and self-awareness. "And most importantly I have learnt there are many ways in which you can contribute to become an active citizen of Fiji".

Mr. Lal is inspired by the work done by UNA Fiji. "The contribution the organisation has made to the people and communities inspires me to be part of the more to come".

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Shivneet Kumar 11/26/22 Shivneet Kumar 11/26/22

Meet Hon. Ms. Arci Singh

Being part of United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji), Hon. Ms. Arci Singh was able to come out of her confort zone, being confident and maintain discipline in her life.

Ms. Singh is an Executive Committee Member and the Co-ordinator for the Hospitality Team here at UNA Fiji.

Prior to this role, Ms. Singh was part of Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP) Co-ordination team as a Deputy Co-ordinator. "All positions have brought me out of my shell. Providing new challenges each time and overcoming those challenges seemed fulfilling. These roles have also helped me grow in my new leadership roles at work".

The 27-year-old joined UNA Fiji in 2018 and has been an active member since then. For Ms. Singh, being a part of UNA Fiji has been an inspiring journey so far. "I have had a great experience. Gaining knowledge not only in the art of diplomacy but also being mindful. When life gets tough, remembering the lessons, learnt from the classes with Hon. President Mr. Akmal Ali; has helped me improve, not only in my daily life, but at work as well".

UNA Fiji has also inspired Ms. Singh to develop her leadership skills and taught her the importance of team work.

For Ms. Singh, all moments of UNA Fiji have been unforgettable. "Our ups and downs. The growth over the years as an organisation still astonishes me even till now".

She wishes that UNA Fiji continues to grow to new heights and that she wants to be a part of the amazing journey.

Ms. Singh was born and is living in Suva with her Mum. She was studying law but decided to take a break from studies. Currently, she is working at Mindpearl Limited as an Operations Admin.

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