Biographical Note

NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF FIJI PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

(Based on information received from the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

Isikia Rabici Savua, the new Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan today.

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Savua served as Commissioner of the Fiji Police, a position he held since 1994.

Mr. Savua first joined his country’s Foreign Service in 1988, when he was appointed Counsellor to the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations in New York.  In 1992, Mr. Savua served as Fiji’s Consul General in Sydney, Australia. 

Before joining the diplomatic corps, Mr. Savua had a long military career.  Commissioned in 1972, Mr. Savua earned the rank of Captain in 1976, Major in 1979, and Lieutenant Colonel in 1982.   In 1987, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Regular Fiji Military Force.  Mr. Savua’s military service also includes deployment in 1978 to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and  the Multinational Force and Observers Group in Sinai, Egypt, in 1985.

From 1971 to 1972, Mr. Savua attended the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England, graduating as Second Lieutenant in December 1972.  In 1981,  he attended the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Command and Staff College in New Zealand.  Mr. Savua also holds a diploma in legal drafting.

Married with two children, Mr. Savua was born on 31 March 1952.

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