The Republic of Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Fiji formalised diplomatic relations in a ceremony at the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations in New York today. At the ceremony, the Permanent Representative of Guinea-Bissau to the United Nations, Ambassador Joao Soares Da Gama, and his Fijian counterpart, Ambassador Peter Thomson, signed a joint communiqué establishing diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Speaking at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development in New York today, Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Peter Thomson, urged the international community to hear the voices of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).  He said that if they listened well, they would hear that what the island countries were articulating was for the good of the whole planet, not just that of SIDS.

The Annual Session of the Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS began in Geneva this morning under the presidency of Fiji's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Peter Thomson. The Executive Board provides oversight and guidance to the three UN agencies responsible for an annual expenditure of over US$7 billion.