[ Source: Fiji Government / Facebook ]

Joaquim Da Fonseca has been appointed the new chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

He took his Oath of Office this morning before President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu at State House.

Fonseca is a distinguished diplomat and peace builder with more than 20 years of experience in advancing reconciliation, peace, transitional justice and human rights in post-conflict and transitional settings.

Minister for Women, Sashi Kiran, says the Government has full confidence in the new Chair, noting that he brings strong regional and international experience through his work in Timor-Leste and at the United Nations.

“Our Chair has a lot of experience in our region, and we are hopeful that he will bring that expertise to Fiji. If you look at Timor-Leste, they undertook very comprehensive Truth and Reconciliation work, and we hope that experience will help Fiji heal in layers.”

Fonseca previously served as Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands from 2013 to 2019, and as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva from 2009 to 2013.

Before his appointment, he served as Coordinator and Senior Advisor with Timor-Leste’s National Commission for Reconciliation, where he worked on national reconciliation efforts addressing past internal conflicts. He also served as Senior Advisor for Human Rights and Civil Society at the Office of the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste from 2006 to 2009.

The Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission operates independently, while the Coalition Government has committed to ensuring the Commission is adequately resourced to effectively carry out its mandate.

Under the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Act passed by Parliament in December 2024, the Commission is mandated to facilitate truth-telling in relation to political upheavals arising from the 1987 coup onwards, and to promote closure, healing, and national reconciliation for survivors of these turbulent periods.

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