Nuku‘alofa, Tonga – November 10, 2016 THE Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) invited the Lord Speaker, Lord Tu’ivakano to the 81st AFPPD Executive Committee Meeting held on 3 November, 2016 in Thailand.
The Lord Speaker was invited to be a member of the AFPPD Executive Committee during AFPPD-NZPPD Agenda 2030 Workshop for Pacific Parliaments on Prioritizing the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Agenda in the SDGs held at Wellington, New Zealand on 28-29 September 2016. This appointment makes Tonga the only member of the Pacific Islands who is represented in the AFPPD Executive Committee.
During this workshop the Lord Speaker humbly accepted an invitation for him to be a member of the AFPPD Executive Committee. The Lord Speaker’s appointment as an AFPPD Executive Member was official during the 81st AFPPD Executive Committee Meeting. This is an honor and blessing for the Legislative Assembly of Tonga and a worldwide recognition of the hard work of the Population and Development Parliamentary Committee of Tonga.
Various agendas were discussed in the meeting including the AFPPD’s planned activities for 2016-2017. These activities focused mainly on the mandates of the three (3) Standing Committees of AFPPD being the Standing Committee on Gender and Women Empowerment, Standing Committee on Active Ageing and Standing Committee on Investing in Youths.
Lord Fusitu’a as Co-chair of the Standing Committee on Gender and Women Empowerment, amongst other Co-Chairs, were also invited to the 81st AFPPD Executive Committee Meeting, as observers.
Following the 81st AFPPD Executive Meeting was the 11th Conference for Women Parliamentarians from 4-5 November which Lord Fusitu’a and Hon. ‘Akosita Lavulavu attended.
Lord Speaker Tu’ivakano was also invited on the first day of the 11th Conference for Women Parliamentarians, together with the Speakers from various Pacific Islands such as Cook Islands, Fiji Islands and the Chair of the AFPPD, to a private welcome session of the President of Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly, Professor Pornpetch Wichitcholchai.
The 82nd AFPPD Executive Meeting is tentatively scheduled to 3 May, 2017 in Rome, Italy.
For more details contact Clerk, Gloria Pole’o on