Commissioners and fellow Heads of EMBs from the Region;
Our friends from the Commonwealth Secretariat in London;
CEP Facilitators;
CEP Participants;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Bula Vinaka, Pacific Greetings and a victorious morning to you all!
It is my honour to welcome you to this Commonwealth Election Professionals (CEP) Pacific Region Talanoa. At the outset, I am delighted that the facilitators have chosen to style this gathering as a Talanoa—a traditional Pacific approach to open, honest, and inclusive dialogue. Unlike formal workshops or training sessions, a Talanoa encourages meaningful exchanges and shared understanding, which is exactly what we aim to achieve over the coming days.
This gathering is significant, bringing together brother and sister Election Management Bodies (EMBs) from across the Pacific region—a region where the vastness of the world’s largest ocean both connects and challenges us. I would like to extend a heartfelt vinaka vakalevu to each of you. Your presence reflects the shared commitment we all must advancing fair, transparent, and credible elections in our countries and the region.
Ladies and gentlemen, as representatives of EMBs, we are entrusted with one of the most critical responsibilities in any democracy: ensuring that our citizens can trust their elections. This trust is the foundation of our democratic systems and the stability of our respective nations. Our work is not just administrative, but it should be relational as well. We should be able to build relationships with our stakeholders which would then allow them to have the confidence and trust in us, the administrators of electoral processes in our respective nations.
In this Talanoa, we will explore how to strengthen stakeholder engagement and rebuild trust in our electoral systems. Beyond technical skills, I hope we will also deepen our professional and personal connections, which are vital for regional collaboration. The Pacific thrives on shared values and collective action, and it is only through partnership that we can address the evolving challenges in our electoral landscapes.
Allow me to share the Fijian Elections Office’s (FEO) journey since January 2023 toward strengthening stakeholder engagement. In taking up the leadership role, I saw it as an opportunity not to confirm but transform the way FEO was interacting with its stakeholders.
We had to go back to basis and we adopted 3 approaches; collaborative, proactive and reactive.
In the Collaborative approach, we initiated a reflective process to review our performance. This involved creating a safe space for our stakeholders to allow them to have an open and honest discussions with us. It also involved us activating our humility spirit to be able to accept the issues being relayed to us and acknowledging areas for improving our delivery of electoral processes. The feedback from the review was then converted to action plans and activities which are reflected in our 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, emphasizing humility, accountability, and trust-building. Through these initiatives we are able to consistently meet with our stakeholders and touch base on our roadmap and action items for the Local Government Elections and upcoming General Election.
Proactive Approach:
Recognizing the various challenges, we face as EMBs especially the ever growing challenges of disinformation and misinformation, we have taken proactive steps to engage our stakeholders. Through partnerships with the media, political parties, and civil society organizations, we have implemented initiatives that provide accurate, timely information to counter misinformation and promote public confidence in the electoral process. An example of this was when we gathered our local influencers for a media literacy workshop, the outcome of which these influencers formed a working committee and established a FB account – FJ4II in which they educate their followers on the importance of media literacy.
Reactive Approach:
This comes back to home, in which we had established a Stakeholder Engagement and Awareness Department. Their job is not only to manage our stakeholders and their needs but to also debunk any mis or disinformation through social media postings, press releases, press conference, reels or subject experts’ interviews. They also are in the process of establishing a register to record all the mis and dis information in the public sphere.
Now, as we gather over the next few days, I encourage you to fully embrace the spirit of Talanoa. Ask questions, share your insights, and learn from each other’s experiences. While our countries face unique electoral challenges, we are united by a common purpose: to deliver elections that are transparent, inclusive, and credible.
This Talanoa offers us a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, refine our practices, and strengthen our shared commitment to electoral integrity. Together, we can develop innovative solutions to the challenges we face and inspire positive change in our democracies.
Before I conclude, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the Commonwealth Secretariat and our facilitators, whose dedication and hard work have made this gathering possible. Please join me in showing our appreciation in the usual manner (pause for applause).
Finally, I know that most of us siting in this room are leaders. Being a good leader isn’t easy. It requires courage, humility, integrity and compassion. It is having the ability to be a remarkable servant to your people. So, thank you for the leadership and dedication you bring to your countries. As we embark on this journey of open and honest Talanoa, I hope that before you embark on your journey across the Pacific Ocean to return to your islands, you will not only leave with baskets full of knowledge and renewed determination to uphold the integrity of our respective electoral systems but also be encouraged that the position you holding right now is a Godly appointment. It’s a calling, you have been called for such a time as this to be siting in that position and serve your people. Serve them well.
As we begin this Talanoa today, I echo the blessing over each and everyone of you, May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and give you peace.
Vinaka vakalevu, thank you.
