Fiji’s Ambassador to the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium, Ambassador Peceli Vocea passed away in Brussels yesterday at the age of 46.
Ambassador Vocea was serving his second term in office as Fiji’s representative to the EU and Belgium, an appointment he has held since 2009.
During a remarkable career in Fiji’s civil service spanning 23 years which included a two year World Bank assignment in Washington, Ambassador Vocea served as Permanent Secretary for Finance and National Planning, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Civil Aviation among key civil service appointments.
He also served as a director on the boards of the Reserve Bank of Fiji, Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority and Fiji Islands Trade and Investment Board.
The late Ambassador obtained his BSc in Statistics at the University of Canterbury, NZ, a Post-graduate Diploma in Economics of Development at the Australian National University, Australia and a Master of Commerce Degree in Economics and Econometrics from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amena Yauvoli, expressed Fiji’s profound loss of a diplomatic interlocutor and strong advocate of not only Fiji’s interests but also of the SIDS in Brussels, the capital of the EU.
PS Yauvoli said this was exemplified by his service as a member of the Adaptation Fund of the UNFCCC, advocacy of natural and cultural heritage as permanent representative to UNESCO and representative of Fiji in EU-ACP trade talks.
He is survived by his wife, Vasiti and five children. Ambassador Vocea was also a well-known sports enthusiast having represented Suva and his QVSOB club in rugby. Funeral arrangements are being finalized.
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