Tonga's Tania Tupou was interviewed by Vasiti Ritova a Fijian journalist who was in New York to cover the 49th Session of the Commission on the status of Women (CSW).

By Vasiti Ritova

A Tongan woman, Tania Laumanulupe Tupou is the new Office Manager of the Joint Office for Commonwealth Permanent Missions to the United Nations, in New York City.

Tania's principal duties focuses on maximising resources for the Commonwealth nations of Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu from the Pacific Community; and Belize, the Dominican Republic, Gambia, Grenada, Maldives and Seychelles from the other regions of the Commonwealth as they try to tackle major world issues.

Between telephone calls and duties, Tania manages to deliver a conviction that she highlights major issues discussed at United Nations level for the Commonwealth Joint Office.

"What do I do here? I manage the whole office and help make the connection between the UN and the Commonwealth on matters. My main focus is capitalise on resources we have at this level for the missions we serve in the office.

"It's the kind of work that involves major consultation at high level and a lot of administration work."

Tania is a new face to the job but is an old hand at foreign affairs level, having been the Kingdom of Tonga's Consul in San Francisco for the last four or five years. She was replaced by another woman, Lu'isa Fuka Leveni. They are joined by the former Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fekita Utoikamanu, who has now been appointed Tonga's Permanent Representative to the UN.

As Tonga prepares itself for a commitment to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as promised by the head of delegation to the 2005 CSW, Deputy Prime Minister Cecil Cocker during his speech at the CSW today, Tania...’s work becomes a living testimony for Pacific Island women.

It's what many Tongan women have achieved for themselves, and all we need now is a government commitment to ratify CEDAW.

Tania's office is situated at Suite 400A, 800 Second Avenue, in New York.