Tonga’s Parliament is up and running this week thanks to support from parliaments throughout the Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), after Tropical Cyclone Gita destroyed its century old building and technical equipment last month.

The UNDP put out a call for assistance to enable Tonga’s Parliament to function and received an overwhelming response.

Tonga’s Legislative Assembly Speaker, Lord Fakafanua was grateful for the tremendous and timely support from his regional counterparts.

“I am honoured and overwhelmed at the same time with the responses that we have received to date from parliaments in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and UNDP for their swift and kind assistance in our time of need,” he said. 

“It is crucially important the Legislative Assembly continues to function and play its central role in being the national forum for discussion, debate, accountability and oversight.”

He added that “because of their support, we will have the necessary equipment in place to ensure that the Parliament sitting can be recorded and official transcripts kept.”

UNDP Country Director in Fiji and Head of Pacific Regional Programme and Policy, Bakhodir Burkhanov said assistance came in from throughout the Pacific, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Parliaments of Queensland and Western Australia.

ICT equipment was provided from the Parliaments of New Zealand, South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria and two technicians from Fiji’s Parliament provided assistance in operating the conferencing systems loaned to Tonga for this month’s Parliament sitting.

“This was a regional and south-south cooperation in its truest form, and I would like to sincerely thank our partners in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji for their support,” said Burkhanov.

He added that he is looking forward to supporting Tonga Parliament organize a youth parliament later this year “to challenge negative stereotypes and to break down barriers to political participation of women and young people”.

As March 8 is International Women’s Day, Burkhanov said “we all can do more to promote women in elected office and in senior executive positions”.