Meet Hon. Mr. Shivneet Kumar
Meet Hon. Mr. Shivneet Kumar. He is the Vice-President and Executive Committee Member here at United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji).
Mr. Kumar is one of the longest serving members of UNA Fiji and who has contributed a lot towards the growth of the organization.
He shared about his UNA Fiji journey.
"My journey at UNA Fiji until today has been nothing short of Life-Changing. If my 16-year-old self would see me now, it would not recognize the person I have become," Mr. Kumar said.
When he first joined UNA Fiji back in 2018, he was just a typical teenage boy.
He was an introvert, spent too much time playing video games, and dreamed of success without putting in any effort.
Mr. Kumar's first few weeks at UNA Fiji were extremely difficult as for the first time, he had to step out of his comfort zone and challenge himself to do better.
Mr. Kumar said he was fortunate to be mentored by the Hon. President, Mr. Akmal Ali, who never gave up on him even when he made so many mistakes in the beginning.
As the weeks turned into months and months turned into years, he was able to climb up the roles and prove himself to be a leader.
By this time, one of the biggest lessons Mr. Kumar has learnt is that “Communication is Key”, no matter what the task is or what position you hold, it is critical to be able to communicate your thoughts and ideas to people.
"At UNA Fiji, we believe that anything is possible if only we start to communicate properly with each other. Communicate if you are sick and can’t attend a meeting, communicate if you do not understand an instruction, communicate if you have an idea to improve a system, anything is possible if we all understand this one simple idea that is to be able to Communicate," he said.
Mr. Kumar is grateful to get the opportunity to graduate from the Basic & Intermediate Diplomacy Training Programme. Apart from his graduating certificates, Mr. Kumar also got the Most Jovial Award (BDTP) and The Activist Award (IDTP).
These awards acted as a major burst of motivation and encouragement from the Association for him to do better every single day to become the leader of tomorrow.
Last year, Mr. Kumar received the Most Outstanding Member Award (2020 - 2022) for his continuous hard work, support, and contributions towards the growth of the organization.
Mr. Kumar said the amount of knowledge and lessons that he has learned from being part of UNA Fiji is immeasurable.
"I am proud to say that I am a changed man who is now putting in every hint of effort into becoming a successful leader. So, I urge you all to step out of your comfort zones, challenge yourselves to do better, and never forget the power of communication," Mr. Kumar said.
Furthermore, he graduated from Rishikul Sanatan College. Mr. Kumar is currently enrolled at the University of the South Pacific (USP), undertaking a Bachelor of Science Degree (Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Computer Science) with a National Toppers Scholarship.
With Class, Dignity & Elegance-
Meet Hon. Mr. Jesh Kumar
Meet Hon. Mr. Jesh Kumar. He is part of the Communications Team here at United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji).
Mr. Kumar joined UNA Fiji as a trainee after being selected to participate in the 2021 Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP) and joined as a member after graduation. He started out as part of the Protocol and Global Classroom team.
Originally from Rakiraki with maternal links to Taveuni, Mr. Kumar currently resides in Suva.
At 28 years of age, Mr. Kumar has a few academic achievements to his name. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from USP majoring in Land Use Planning and Geography (GIS Emphasis) in 2016. He went to finish his Post Graduate Diploma in Commerce (Land Management) from USP in 2021 and a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management from the EMERITUS Institute of Management, Singapore in 2022 respectively.
He is currently pursuing a PostGraduate Diploma in Climate Change (Disaster Resilience Emphasis) from the USP.
Mr. Kumar is employed in the field of Project Planning for the Fijian Government and has over 7 years of professional experience in the areas of project administration, procurement, contract drafting, property management and geographical information systems.
For Mr. Kumar; his journey with UNA Fiji has been an inspiring one. In his words, “Here at UNA Fiji, there’s always something new to learn particularly about the workings of the United Nations.”
According to Mr. Kumar his favourite moment here at UNA Fiji was when he was a trainee. “I became acquainted with people from diverse fields of work, age and mindset. I am in awe of the unity that is maintained here at UNA Fiji where everyone is treated equal regardless of race, religion or skin color”.
During the summations, Mr. Kumar represented The Republic of Uzbekistan and was able to showcase numerous ideologies, negotiating skills as well as analytical temperaments after carrying out his research. He describes the summations as competitive in nature that helped him acquire a true picture and appreciation of how the UN actually functions.
Meet Hon. Mr. Yash Maharaj
Hon. Mr. Yash Maharaj is able to bring a lot of changes into his life while being part of the United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji).
He has learnt to come out of his comfort zone and socialize with people, self-discipline, self-motivation, and the importance of time management and consistency. “This is just the tip of the iceberg, UNA Fiji has taught much more than this, and those teachings were incorporated in my life so that I could positively change as one must reform himself before he can reform the world".
Mr. Maharaj joined UNA Fiji in 2018, and since then he is an active member. He is also one of the oldest members who has also contributed towards the growth and development of UNA Fiji.
He is the Executive Officer in the Office of the Vice-President here at UNA Fiji.
Prior to this role, Mr. Maharaj was part of the Communications and Hospitality Team. Earlier in 2022 he was the Deputy Co-ordinator and then the Co-ordinator for the Hospitality Team.
For Mr. Maharaj being a member of UNA Fiji has been a progressive journey as his also growing with the organisation.
Mr. Maharaj is a former student of Rishikul Sanatan College and has received several awards in and out of school, the award for the National Titration Champion in the senior category in 2019 and the National Intermediate Chess Champion in 2020 being the memorable ones. He is a second year Bachelor of Science student at the University of the South Pacific, majoring in Electrical/Electronic Engineering and Computing Science.
Mr. Maharaj’s favourite moments at UNA Fiji were his summation and graduation, however, according to Mr. Maharaj, his greatest moment at UNA Fiji, was the first day he had joined UNA Fiji; the day was great, the sun was bright, the day was not too hot nor too cold, and so the first impression of the leader at UNA Fiji and the lessons he learnt that day.
Meet Hon. Ms. Arti Chand
How to manage time wisely is what we learn from Hon. Ms. Arti Chand. Juggling work, family life, academic commitments and dedicating weekends has not been an easy task for Ms. Chand but she has been adamant that with effective time management, anything is possible.
Ms. Chand hails from the friendly town of Labasa and a family of four which includes her dad, mum and younger sibling.
Ms. Chand completed her Basic Diplomacy Training (BDTP) in 2021 where she was awarded the Meritorious Award and the Best Group Award.
She joined UNA Fiji as an active member in 2022 and is currently part of the Communications Team.
She recalls her time during the training where the skills learnt in the training enabled her to improve her interpersonal skills, and offered a degree of confidence for public speaking.
Ms. Chand highlights that with diplomacy training, it challenges an individual to step outside of their comfort zone and helps one to grow as a person.
Ms. Chand holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Fiji National University (FNU) majoring in Management and Information Systems.
She is currently employed as a Coordinator Island Resilience at a Regional Organization in Suva and has 8 years of Professional experience working in areas of Project Administration, Communications, IT, Event Management, Diplomacy, Donor Funding, Procurement and Media.
Apart from having a full-time job and volunteer commitments, Ms. Chand enjoys painting art which serves her as a stress release.
Ms. Chand highlights that the love, unity and respect that is accorded to everyone regardless of one’s age or past experiences is what inspires her to be part of UNA Fiji.
A quote by Lao Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” is one that she holds dear. She emphasizes that even the longest and most challenging endeavors have a beginning, and all it needs is an individual’s first step and effort.
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Meet Hon. Mr. Vipin Maharaj
For Hon. Mr. Vipin Shahil Maharaj, United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji) is a place where he has learnt to overcome his fears, develop his public speaking skills, and build his confidence. These are a few qualities a budding lawyer should possess before becoming a fully-fledged lawyer.
Mr. Maharaj is a law student at the University of the South Pacific (USP) who is also interested in and aims to be involved in politics. Mr. Maharaj hails from Suva, residing in Khalsa Road, Newtown.
He joined UNA Fiji in 2020 and has since been an active member. Over the years, Mr. Maharaj has held various positions in UNA Fiji including; Deputy Co-ordinator Hospitality team (2021), Assistant Co-ordinator for the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme- BDTP (2021), Co-ordinator of the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme- BDTP (2022). Currently, Mr. Maharaj serves as the Deputy Co-ordinator of the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (2023).
For Mr. Maharaj, his journey with UNA Fiji has been heuristic and exuberant together with full of challenges. Finding a balance between family, University, and UNA Fiji was initially difficult for Mr. Maharaj but overtime it became manageable for two reasons; Firstly, the realization that everything is connected one way or the other. Secondly, committing one hour every day to UNA Fiji activities, whether to complete tasks delegated to him or to learn more about UNA Fiji.
Mr. Maharaj has made a few internal changes, such as using evidence-based advocacy which is a prevalent issue for this contemporary generation and many more.
Mr. Maharaj draws inspiration from UNA Fiji's efforts in developing Active Fijian Citizens. UNA Fiji has taken on a life of its own for him, inspiring him to learn something new every day while also experiencing many beatific moments.
Mr. Maharaj has benefited daily from UNA Fiji, thanks to UNA Fiji, he has met and spoken with many notable leaders. Mr. Maharaj advises aspiring young leaders to join UNA Fiji as a good place to start.
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Meet Hon. Ms. Aliya Hanif
Meet Hon. Ms. Aliya Hanif. She is an Executive Committee member of the United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji) and the Assistant Co-ordinator for the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP).
Ms. Hanif joined UNA Fiji as a trainee in 2020 and after graduation, she became an official member of UNA Fiji.
Previously, Ms. Hanif was the Co-ordinator for the UNA Fiji’s Hospitality Team. “The very first position I held was the Co-ordinator of the Hospitality Team and I learnt from there that the Hospitality Team leaves a major impression on our guests and for that, we need to work hard as a team to do all the tasks properly and to UNA Fiji standard”.
The 21-year-old is currently a second-year Medical Imaging Science student at the Fiji National University College of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences on a National Toppers Scholarship Schemes (NTS). Ms. Hanif is originally from Suva but is currently residing in Nadera with her family. Her father works for the Fiji Police Force, her mother is a Kindergarten teacher at Rishikul Nadera Primary School and her brother works at Fiji Development Bank as an intern programmer.
For Ms. Hanif, being part of UNA Fiji has been an inspiring journey. “Through UNA Fiji I have been able to learn about time management and its importance in one’s life, the importance of teamwork and how it can bring dreams to life (For example, Our website) and how sacrifices need to be made to achieve something”.
Ms. Hanif’s favourite moment with UNA Fiji was when she graduated and became an official member of UNA Fiji.
Balancing family time, studies and UNA Fiji work wasn't easy for Ms. Hanif but proper scheduling and time management places a big role in her life to balance everything.
Ms. Hanif is proud to be part of the UNA Fiji Family and being a part of the UNA Fiji allows Ms. Hanif to learn something new every day and help UNA Fiji to achieve its goals.
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#UNAFiji
#ActiveFijianCitizen
#GlobalCitizenshipEducation
Meet Hon. Mr. Shivnesh Ram
Hon. Mr. Shivnesh Ram is the longest-serving member of the United Nations Association of Fiji (UNA Fiji). He joined UNA Fiji as a trainee in 2015 and since then has been an active member.
The 23-year-old is one of the members behind the growth and development of UNA Fiji. For Mr. Ram, being part of UNA Fiji has been a transformative journey so far and learning new things every step of the way. “In a nutshell, the lessons I have learnt are that no man is an island, promote evidence-based policy advocacy, be compassionate, have passion as your motivation and change one life at a time”.
Over the years, Mr. Ram has held various positions at UNA Fiji which include; National Lead delegate (2016-2018), Co-ordinator of the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme - BDTP (2018-2019), Chairperson – Membership Standing Committee Co-ordinator (2020-2021), Protocol and Global Classrooms Co-ordinator (2022) and he is currently the Co-ordinator BDTP (2023).
Mr. Ram has received two awards from UNA Fiji. Firstly, the Special award - Honorable Mention in 2017 and secondly, the Special Appreciation award in 2019.
Mr. Ram was born and raised in Suva and shares paternal roots to the Province of Bua. He is currently pursuing a Degree in Engineering at the University of the South Pacific (USP) and hoping to specialize in telecommunications in the future.
Apart from this, Mr. Ram is the youngest serving secretariat member for the Suva District Council of Social Services. From 2019-2021 he was the Vice-President and since 2021, Mr. Ram is the Deputy Chairperson. He is also Youngest District Advisory Councillor for the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management since 2021.
Being part of UNA Fiji Mr. Ram has been able to bring about positive changes such as always being willing to learn, becoming resilient, having patience and believing in delayed gratification in his life.
Over the years, Mr. Ram has learnt a lot from UNA Fiji and he will continue to work towards the growth and development of the organisation in future.
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#UNAFiji
#ActiveFijianCitizen
#GlobalCitizenshipEducation