Mrs. Leody Vainikolo, Acting CEO for Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forests

Mr. Metuisela Falesiva, Deputy CEO for Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forests

Ms. Soana Lala, Manager of Talent and Culture at ANZ Bank

Colleagues

Ladies and Gentlemen

Malo e lelei and a very warm welcome to this financial literacy and business basics training workshop and thank you for the opportunity to say a few words this morning.

At UNDP, we believe that in order to achieve the global sustainable development goal of ending all forms of hunger and making sure that all people, especially children, have sufficient and nutritious food, promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting small holder farmers as well as equal access to land, technology and markets is essential.

Over the past three years we have been supporting the Government of Tonga through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Forestry to reconstruct and refurbish the Export Processing Building and Fumigation Facility as a result of the damages caused by TC Gita in 2018.  

As this facility provides a critical service for local farmers and exporters, UNDP through financial support from the Government of India is using the concept of building back better which includes:

• improving the capacity of the facility to be able to service more farmers;
• improving the design to be able to withstand climate induced disasters such as cyclones and flooding
• ensuring that the facility complies with HACCAP certification so that the produce is accessible to major export markets to improve the livelihood opportunities for the local farmers and exporters, and
• and ensuring the design of the facility is inclusive, in that it is accessible for the elderly, women and youth and people living with disabilities.       

As we are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the global economy into a recession and created a loss of jobs and livelihoods of historic magnitude. Widespread unemployment and loss of income due to mass redundancies, reduced hours, closure of businesses, particularly women and youth owned micro enterprises and lack of social security have been observed across the region and world-wide.

Through our partnership with other UN agencies such as ILO, UNESCO and IFAD, UNDP is working with MSME’s and vulnerable communities throughout the Pacific including in Tonga for those who have been impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic. Through this partnership, we will develop their livelihood capacities in farming, fisheries, handicrafts, value adding, access to markets and access to financial services to cope with the negative impacts on COVID-19 including on the small holder farmers and exporters.   

In partnership with ANZ, UNDP is facilitating the roll out of financial literacy and basic business management training in a number of Pacific countries to support vulnerable communities in the agriculture, fisheries and handicrafts sector to build capacity in managing their forms of livelihoods. It will also plan for their future to achieve their longer-term development aspirations for their businesses and for their families. This includes planning for unforeseen circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate induced disasters.

With these few words, I wish you all the very best and I look forward to hearing of the outcome of this important training.

Malo ‘aupito.