Suva, Fiji – The Fiji Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management (MRMDDM) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have reaffirmed their commitment and cooperation towards resilient development in Fiji.

The commitment was made during a high-level virtual meeting between the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Hon. Inia Seruiratu, and the UN Assistant Secretary-General and the UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja on Friday 11 June 2021.

The virtual meeting provided an opportunity to review and discuss the development challenges in Fiji, and how MRMDDM and UNDP can jointly work together to ensure development is resilient, to provide integrated financing and evidence-based innovations for rural development and in building back better amidst the devastating impact of COVID-19.

During the discussion, Minister Seruiratu highlighted that since 2016, the Ministry has ensured that resilience is integrated into all development undertaken by the Ministry, which represents a significant paradigm shift.

He further stressed that the Ministry is working in collaboration with UNDP towards resilient development on many fronts, most recently through the Governance for Resilient in the Development (Gov4Res) project on the formulation of its 10-Year Strategic Development Plan.

“I convey our appreciation for the ongoing collaboration between the UNDP team here in Suva and the Fijian Government in bringing services to the people. Through our consistent engagement, we can attest to the strength of partnerships and collaboration to address simultaneous challenges,” said Minister Seruiratu.

The UN Assistant Secretary General and Regional Director for UNDP, Kanni Wignaraja said, “On behalf of UNDP, we appreciate your commitment and support towards the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.” She further added that “your vision and efforts are a working example of where governance and development meet”.

The Gov4Res project is working together with Pacific Island governments to ensure that countries adapt their decision making and governance systems towards more risk-informed development. The project, implemented by the UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji is partnering with a range of partners including the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Contact information:

Aqela Susu, Senior Media Officer, Email: aqela.susu@govnet.gov.fj

Summer Lee, Partnership Liaison and Communications Specialist, Email: summer.lee@undp.org