The YPL alumni meet with Ambassador of Tonga to the US and the Permanent Representative to the UN, HE Viliami Va’inga Tōnē at his Manhattan residence.
As world leaders gathered in New York City for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a cohort of 12 Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) alumni took the opportunity to meet with and gain wisdom from some of their experienced senior counterparts.
In the Big Apple for the first stop of the YPL United States Alumni Roadshow, participants connected with Tongan, Kiribati and Vanuatu leaders and gained insight into leadership, and US-Pacific diplomatic relations.
Kingdom of Tonga
As Ambassador of Tonga to the US and the Permanent Representative to the UN, HE Viliami Va’inga Tōnē is his island nation’s top diplomat in the US, and he works to establish and maintain official partnerships.
Ambassador Tōnē has had a long and distinguished career in Tonga’s foreign service, including roles such as Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Secretary and Chief of Protocol, and Lord Privy Seal in the Palace Office.
During the YPL alumni’s visit to his residence in Manhattan, Ambassador Tōnē advised the group to make the most of the exceptional opportunity provided by the US Department of State’s YPL program.
He says the program, designed to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific, is an invaluable tool for the rising leaders.
“Firstly, it is always very good to develop young people, and secondly, when those young people also have the potential to be leaders, that is even more important.
“For governments, for families, for talent, and for organizations that put value in young people — whether it’s young staff, rising staff in one’s organization — it is very important to pay attention to and invest in their development.”
He says after completing the Alumni Roadshow and other YPL workshops, participants can return home, to work in their home country, bolstered with new skills, contacts and goals.
“This is very important for national development, because you need people who are passionate about what they do, people who want to serve goals, meet objectives, and make a difference in the life of their organizations and the people they work with,” Ambassador Tōnē adds.
“You have to start by developing the individual, so that they can contribute effectively to organizations.
“Those organizations may be at the national, regional, or global level — but first and foremost, you have to develop as individuals.”
Kiribati
The YPL alumni were fortunate to also meet with Tearinaki Tanielu, the Director for Multilateral Affairs for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of the Government of Kiribati, who was in New York for UNGA.
Director for Multilateral Affairs for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of the Government of Kiribati Tearinaki Tanielu was in New York for the UNGA and took time to meet with the YPL alumni.
Following a talanoa with the group, Director Tanielu says he was impressed by the high calibre of leadership currently being developed in the region.
“I see a lot of opportunity for them to have the space to learn from each other, but more importantly, to also learn from institutions here in the United States,” Director Tanielu says.
“They are able to ground themselves in their cultural values — in what they bring from where they come from — and then see how they can influence, drive change, and identify where they can be most impactful within institutions here.”
The former UN Nippon Foundation Fellow and an Alliance of Small Islands States Climate Change Fellow and Advisor to the Kiribati Permanent Representative to the UN says the YPL program offers participants the ability to learn and return home with skills and knowledge to drive change more effectively.
“I am very optimistic YPL will bring great value and great change back home,” Director Tanielu says.
Expanding networks
Meanwhile, YPL alumnus Willy Missack was able to meet with Permanent Representative and Ambassador of the Republic of Vanuatu to the UN, HE Odo Tevi during the New York visit.
Willy Missack with HE Ambassador Odo Tevi, in New York City.
Willy is the Loss and Damage Project Manager at the Department of Climate Change of Vanuatu, and he was pleased to have the chance to discuss shared interests and goals in disaster prone Vanuatu with Ambassador Tevi.
The YPL alumni cohort also met United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Programme Manager Yannis Derbali to learn how the agency works, and about potential opportunities to collaborate on environmental concerns, to help promote a safe, secure, and prosperous Pacific region.
Visit the Young Pacific Leaders website for more details on the US Department of State program.
