Tasaruru Whiteley, a field officer with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, has won the Local Champion Award at the Asian Local Leaders Forum for Disaster Resilience (ALL4DR).
Tatu as most know him by is from of Nguna in Vanuatu
The meet was held as part of a part of the 2018 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR).
Mr. Whitely was chosen for this award from nominations by national leaders throughout the Asia Pacific Region as a local champion who embodies innovative thinking for risk reduction. A passionate individual within his community, he champions the role of local leadership in strengthening resilience.
GIZ Pacific Coordinator, James MacBeth in congratulating Tatu said this award was great recognition for what can one do as an individual and an employee.
“GIZ is dedicated to building a future worth living around the world and we either as employees or individuals have a part to play to continue making it habitable for our future generations.”
Conferring the prestigious honor to Tatu were dignitaries including: Enkhtuvshin Ulziisaikhan, Deputy Prime Minister, Mongolia; Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction; Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Australia; and Willem Rampangilei, Minister of the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Indonesia.