Fiji and the United Nations
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| United Nations membership | |
|---|---|
| Membership | Full member |
| Since | 1970 |
| UNSC seat | Non-permanent (never elected) |
| Ambassador | Peter Thomson |
Fiji established its Permanent Mission to the United Nations on 13 October 1970, three days after obtaining its independence from the United Kingdom. Since then, Fiji's participation in the United Nations has been notable primarily for its active role in UN peacekeeping operations, which began in 1978.
The following individuals have held office as Ambassador of Fiji to the United Nations.
Fiji soldiers served in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which Fiji's Major General George Konrote commanded in 1998 and 1999.
The country has also contributed to other operations including Kosovo and Sinai, and, in 2004, Fiji was the first country to volunteer troops to protect United Nations officials in Iraq. The BBC has remarked on Fiji's "long and proud history of sending its forces to the world's trouble-spots". As of September 2004, 35 Fiji soldiers had been killed in the line of duty while serving on UN peacekeeping missions.
As of April 2007, Fiji had 292 soldiers, police officers and military observers serving in United Nations peacekeeping operations in Iraq, Liberia, Sudan and Timor-Leste. Following the military coup in Fiji in December 2006, New Zealand and Australia urged the United Nations to suspend Fiji's participation in peacekeeping operations, at first to little avail. Questioned by media, a spokesman for the office of the Secretary-General stated that "[t]he United Nations is grateful for the service provided by Fijian personnel to UN peacekeeping operations over many years and for the Fijian personnel currently serving in dangerous UN assignments, including in Iraq".
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