The Fijian Government has commended the University of New South Wales (UNSW) for their partnership and unwavering support for Fiji and the Pacific region. This was conveyed at a meeting held between the Permanent Secretary for Office of the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs, Mr Yogesh Karan and the University of New South Wales Institute for Global Development (IGD) Director, Dr George Varughese, at Fiji Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), yesterday (3/11/2022).“We are encouraged by the interactions we’ve had with Government counterparts on critical policy and developmental imperatives and look forward to deepening our partnerships in Fiji and across the region to accelerate sustainable development.”Mr Karan said the Fijian Government looks forward to further support of UNSW IGD in advancing shared goals on transformative, equitable and sustainable development through strong partnerships in research and education.
In response, Dr Varughese said that developmental progress in the Indo-Pacific region will determine timely achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally. The environment, health, and education related challenges of the Pacific are of most significant concern worldwide. As a leading research impact university, UNSW is actively seeking strategic knowledge partnerships to help tackle these challenges in and around Australia. The IGD directly responds to UNSW’s strategic priority of Social Impact, specifically delivering on the vision to “tackle real-world problems through partnerships that brings together students, staff, alumni and the community, aligning their efforts with UNSW’s expertise and research strengths, Australia’s aspirations and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”The UNSW delegation also included Director of UNSW Global Water Institute, Dr Greg Leslie, and experts of the UNSW, who are in the country this week. They met with Fijian Government officials, United Nations (UN) representatives, and local universities in the pursuit to develop strategic partnerships and opportunities for accelerating sustainable development in the Pacific. With the support of the UN, the UNSW Institute for Global Development (IGD) will convene a workshop series in Suva, Fiji. The workshops will cover a range of topic areas including; ‘Pacific-led Research and Policy Agendas: Reimagining Pacific Research and Development’, and, ‘Building Strategic Knowledge Partnerships in the Asia Pacific’.The Institute for Global Development (IGD) was established under UNSW’s Strategy 2025 as a critical component of the university’s ambitious agenda for global impact. Mr Karan said the Fijian Government is grateful to UNSW IGD’s partnership which aligns with Fiji’s national efforts to build back better and stronger from the adverse impacts of the pandemic, climate crisis and other global challenges. He commended UNSW IGD for their excellent work and commitment to address issues of importance to Fiji and the Pacific family; which presents prospects for strategic partnership in addressing climate change, disaster resilience, food security, and water and energy security, technology advancement, amongst others.Mr Karan welcomed Dr Varughese and the UNSW IGD delegation to Fiji for their visit which signifies their commitment to building strategic knowledge partnerships for the Pacific’s prosperity.
