Addresses delivered in the general policy debate by the Head of Delegation at the General Conference
37 session of the General Conference
Ms Lucy Moala-Mafi, Secretary-General of the National Commission and Deputy Director of Human Resources Management at the Ministry of Education and Training of Tonga 
Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 37th session of the General Conference - revised and corrected version of the verbatim records of plenary meetings36 session of the General Conference
Mrs Emeli POUVALU, Director of Education, Women and Culture Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 36th session of the General Conference and posted as received35 session of the General Conference
Hon. Tevita Hala Palefau, Minister of Education, Culture and Women Affairs“(…) This year marks the jubilee of the establishment of the Tonga National Commission for UNESCO.”
“I would like to congratulate and commend UNESCO for its ongoing thorough reform programmes that have successfully delivered articulate and reader friendly documents, focused results-based programming, increased intersectoral and interdisciplinary activities, decentralization and full integration into the United Nations “Deliver as One” process.”
“I am particularly pleased to note in the draft document 35 C/5 Rev. an increase in funding in all programme sectors, particularly in Major Programme I: Education, for I strongly believe that investment in education and in people must always lead the way (…).”
“I salute UNESCO also for its successful efforts in mobilizing extrabudgetary funds over the past biennia and for the upcoming biennium. (…) Such funds have enabled the safeguarding of Tonga’s proclaimed Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, “the LakalakaI”, through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust.”
“The Pacific Cluster Office in Apia, Samoa serves 16 Member States and one Associate Member, yet it is not fully staffed to be able to respond effectively to the needs of the Member States. (…) This places enormous constraints and challenges on the implementation of major programmes and Pacific initiatives such as EFA, ESD, cultural conventions, the Pacific World Heritage Action Plan, the Pacific World Heritage Fund, gender equality, climate change education and knowledge societies. I (…) call upon UNESCO to improve and expedite its recruitment process and honour its reform agenda, with particular reference to decentralization of staff and resources to the field level.”
“Despite numerous global meetings, resolutions and publications on climate change, I still fear for my country where more than 80% of the population live on low-lying islands.(…) The recent tragic and devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in the Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga, (…) are exemplary illustrations that this global and alarming phenomena is not only a threat to low-lying islands, but to all islands in the Pacific and that UNESCO’s Early Tsunami Warning and Mitigating systems are not sufficient any more to protect the destruction of people, livelihood, culture (…). I strongly urge UNESCO to continue placing climate change education as a priority area in all major programme areas and that there be more immediate action and less talk by anyone anywhere. Let climate change be an integral part of the mission for education, as well as UNESCO global priorities.”
“(…) I take this opportunity to thank the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, for his eminent and outstanding leadership during his tenure as Director-General (…).
34 session of the General Conference
H.E. Dr Viliami Fukofuka, Director of Education, Women Affairs and CultureTonga has a long tradition of formal education that is compulsory and free of charge. Today, Tonga enjoys a high literacy rate and the highest number of graduates and doctorates, per capita, in the Pacific Region.
Tonga has been a peaceful constitutional monarchy since the promulgation of the Constitution in 1875. Tonga is an independent nation that had never been colonized. However, on the 16th of November in 2006, a political rally in the heart of the capital city, Nuku’alofa, turned violent, leading to riots, fire and destructions. The extent of the damage caused equated to a loss of 20% of the GDP. Even now, Tonga is still struggling to overcome the disastrous effects of this event.
Education is sadly not a solution for all evils. In order for education to contribute effectively to nation building, it must go together with values of democracy, equity, open dialogue and a culture that respects both human rights and human responsibilities.
“In its 2006-2009 Strategic Development Plan, Tonga has incorporated the Millennium Development Goals and the Education for All goals. In response to Tonga’s call for donor assistance, New Zealand Aid and the World Bank agreed to fund the first five years of our 2004-2019 Education Policy Framework, through the Tonga Education Support Programme using a sector-wide approach.”
“The Tonga Education Support Programme was extended to include early childhood education and inclusive education. There are obvious gaps in the TESP and we are happy that we have been using UNESCO’s Participation Programme to deal with some of these.”
The Government has launched the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in the country and hopes other States will follow this example. Tonga also suggests that the UNESCO National Education Support Strategy should be extended beyond education to the other sectors as well. To conclude, Tonga would like to call all the Member States to cooperate and to commit to the ideas of sustainable development.
Tonga
