New UN Resident Coordinator ready to take up role in the Pacific

The new United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Pacific Resident Representative, Sanaka Samarasinha hopes to meet representatives from a wide cross section when he visits countries that he is accredited to.

Mr Samarasinha will also be presenting his credentials to the heads of states in the respective countries.

He said he was grateful for the opportunity to meet Pacific leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Nauru last month.

He said it was the chance to discuss priorities with the leaders and how the UN can deal with them.

He hopes to take something tangible back to the countries as well as have conversations with as many people as possible including representatives of civil society and the media.

Mr Samarasinha, who is a former journalist, is based at the UN Office in Fiji and is accredited to Federated States of Micronesia Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Palau, Tonga, Vanuatu, Nauru and Tuvalu.

Mr. Samarasinha is passionate about the Sustainable Development Goals and the role of the media as part of the global partnership for development.

According to the UN, the media plays a pivotal role in advocacy and awareness of the Global Goals in contributing to a sustainable and humane society.