Mrs Arieta Matalomani Moceica holds a Bachelors of Jurisprudence from Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; a Post Graduate Certificate in Management from the Central Queensland University; a Post Graduate Diploma in International Relations from the University of Fiji where she was also awarded the Raman Nair Award for academic excellence in 2012.  She’s also a double-Masters graduate, with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Graduate School of Business of the University of the South Pacific and a Masters in International Relations and Diplomacy (MAIRD) from the University of Fiji.

Her professional experience in the last 25 years includes gender training in rural communities and within the civil service; project management, programme development, policy planning and analysis within the  NGO sector nationally and regionally; lobbying and advocacy regionally and internationally specifically in the thematic areas of gender and climate change.

Organisations that she’s worked for include: the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Women’s Action for Change, UNIFEM Pacific Regional Office, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Pacific Islands Association of NGOs and the Pacific Conference of Churches. She’s done project work for UNDP within government and consultancies as a Fiji gender specialist for ADB and ILO funded projects and for the Fiji Red Cross.

She’s also been active in community social work in the Northern division and continues her community service through her children’s school committee.

From 2012 – 2015, she held the post of Director for Women in the Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.

In 2016, she was recruited as the first national Head of Office for the newly opened International Organization for Migration (IOM) Fiji Office, before being recruited through an Open Merit Based Recruitment Process into her current post as Deputy Secretary Operations with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

She is married to Lieutenant Colonel Ilai Moceica, and they have 3 children.

Mr Nayasi assumed the post of Deputy Secretary Policy when former Permanent Secretary Ambassador Ravindran Nair came into office on May 16, 2016. Mr Nayasi was acting PS for 16 months since January 1, 2015. 

He was Deputy Secretary (Operations) from June 2014.  He was the Director of Political and Treaties since January 2012.  Prior to his appointment as Director Political and Treaties, he served as the Second Secretary and later as the First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations in New York.  His diplomatic posting in New York was for the total term of over four years until December 2011.

He joined the Civil Service in 2005, and worked under the Political and Treaties Division of the Ministry for over two years before his diplomatic posting.

He is a lawyer by profession.  He graduated with a law degree from and undertook post graduate studies at the University of the South Pacific. He was admitted to the Fiji Courts in 2005.  He completed a number UN fellowships on international law, including the Summer Programme at the Hague Academy of International Law.

Mr Nayasi is married and has two daughters.

Before his current appointment, Mr Rokolaqa was the Director Corporate Services. He had worked as First Secretary at the Fiji Embassy in Brazil from July 2011 to February 2015 where he assisted the Ambassador in promoting bilateral cooperation with the Brazilian Government. He also assisted in the setting up of the Fiji Embassy in Brazil in August 2011.

Before Brazil, Mr Rokolaqa worked as the Principal Assistant Secretary for the Corporate Services Division since March 2007. From February 2004 to March 2007, Mr Rokolaqa worked as Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Fiji in New York. His role included representing Fiji at the United Nations Plenary & Security Council meetings, United Nations Committee meetings, preparing and presenting national statements, lobbying, conducting research & assessment and representational duties.

Prior to his diplomatic appointment, Mr Rokolaqa was the Student Counsellor at the Ministry of Fijian Affairs Scholarship Unit; and a Social Welfare Officer with the Department of Social Welfare. He also worked at the Director of Public Prosecution, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Inland Revenue. He first joined the Ministry as a clerk in 1993.

Mr Rokolaqa holds a Master’s Degree in Social Science (Strategy and Diplomacy) at the National University of Malaysia and a Bachelor of Arts in History Politics with the University of the South Pacific.

Mr Emberson joined the Ministry as the Director Climate Change in March 2015.

Before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Emberson worked for the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) as Stewardship and Climate change Programme Manager, working on the issue of adaptation and climate induced migration in the Pacific. In addition to managing projects, Emberson travelled extensively throughout the Pacific and beyond undertaking; awareness-raising, migration research and speaking engagements on climate justice. In his six years with PCC, Emberson was privileged to be part of every Fiji government delegation to the annual UNFCCC Conference of Parties from 2009-2014 (COP15-COP20). At these COPs Emberson took special interest in the complexities of international negotiations, and assisted Fiji with themes relating to ‘adaptation’ and ‘loss and damage’.

Prior to joining PCC, Mr. Emberson spent six years with the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (The Secretariat for the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Movement) where he held the post of Assistant Director- Information.

Mr Emberson was a Rotary Peace Fellow (2007-2008), and acquired his Masters degree in International Politics from the University of Queensland, Brisbane. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism, Political-Science and Pacific-History.

He is currently completing his Masters degree in Climate Change from the University of the South Pacific. He is married to Anne and has a two year old daughter, Moira Ana.

Mr. Sharma is currently the Director for the newly formed Africa, Americas, Middle East, Europe and Russia Bureau. Prior to Mr. Sharma being appointed as Director for the Bureau, he was the Chief Administrative Officer to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Sharma is a lawyer by profession having graduated from the University of Waikato with a Master of Laws (Hons) Degree. Mr. Sharma also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Diplomacy and International Relations from the University of the South Pacific. He is admitted to the both the Bars of New Zealand and Fiji.  

Mr. Sharma was previously employed at a commercial law firm in Suva before serving as Principal Legal Officer with the Directorate Army Legal Services - Republic of Fiji Military Forces holding the rank of Major. Mr. Sharma has served in the multilateral environment having undertook two successful tours firstly with the 2nd Fiji Infantry Regiment, Multinational Forces and Observers, Sinai, Egypt and later as Staff Officer  with the Conduct and Discipline Team, United Nations Mission in South Sudan, HQ Juba.

Mr. Sharma is an inducted scholar with the Inter-Pacific Bar Association as well as a Sesparlu International alumnus.

Mr Sharma is an avid follower of Fiji 7's rugby and enjoys the great outdoors.

Prior to joining the Ministry in March 2015, Mrs Kuruvakadua was the Director Policy and Development in the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs. She was the acting Director International Cooperation in that Ministry and also the Manager of the Higher Salaries Commission.

Mrs Kuruvakadua holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Public Administration and a Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from the University of the South Pacific.

She is married with four sons.

Mrs Manjula Shah comes with a wealth of experience in Human Resources and Policy Formulation background whilst serving various Ministries and Departments for more than 20 years in the Civil Service.

She has served in the Customs Department; Inland Revenue Department; Judicial Department; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Fisheries and Forests and the Public Service Commission. Immediately prior to taking up this appointment, she held the post of Manager Corporate Services with the Parliament of Fiji.

Mrs Shah has been actively involved in HR Function; Planning; Training and Development;Monitoring and Evaluation and Research. She has jointly worked with Professors of the USP to conduct research on an entire civil service appraisal system; and worked with Consultants from the Federal and Victoria Parliament on best practice systems and process for Fiji Parliament.

She possesses a Masters of Commence Degree in Management and Public Administration from the University of the South Pacific and undergraduate Degree in Economics/Human Resources Management and Industrial Relations.

Mr Tuima was appointed as acting Director Finance in September 2015 following the completion of his term as First Secretary at the Fiji Embassy in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, from 2010 to 2015. During his diplomatic posting in Beijing, Mr Tuima was instrumental in the overall strengthening of bilateral relations between Fiji and China covering all facets of development cooperation between our two countries.

Prior to joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Tuima worked at the Budget Division, Ministry of Finance, from 1999 to 2010. During this period he started work as a Graduate Trainee/Economic Planning Officer and rose through the ranks to Principal Economic Planning Officer. Conducting analysis on financial and economic policy issues related to domestic macroeconomic environment; revenue forecasting and fiscal settings; assisting in the formulation of the fiscal framework for national Budget and assisting in the production of annual budget documentation – Budget Supplement and Speech are some of his areas of responsibilities while at Ministry of Finance

Mr Tuima acquired his Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics in 2008. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Management from the University of the South Pacific.