Mosese Raqio 
[File Photo]
Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission Commissioner Ana Laqeretabua says strategic partnerships with civil society groups have been critical in helping the Commission reach communities.
Laqeretabua says with only five commissioners and about 20 staff, the Commission does not have the capacity to reach every community on its own.
She says they have worked closely with organisations such as the Pacific Centre for Peacebuilding and tapped into their grassroots networks, as well as district advisory councils and government ministries, to gain traction at the community level.
“Through workshops funded by the United Nations Development Programme Peacebuilding Fund, the Commission has been able to enter communities where NGO partners are already active and invite participants to share their stories.”
Laqeretabua says the response has been encouraging.
She acknowledges that revisiting events dating back to 1987 is not easy for many people, but the safe space created by the Commission has allowed individuals to speak about their experiences as part of their own healing process.
She says the Commission is also hearing from younger generations whose parents lived through the coups of 1987, 2000, and 2006, with many sharing how the culture of political upheaval has shaped their upbringing.
Laqeretabua says these conversations are helping the country confront its past while paving the way for national healing.
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