A dynamic civil society
Annie Homasi is Executive Director of the Tuvalu Association of NGOs (TANGO) and was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her unstinting support for the communities of Tuvalu and the South Pacific. She gives a brief outline of the work of her organisation.
Tuvalu flag.
© IStockphoto.com/Ufuk Zivana
TANGO has 47 organisation members.This membership is countrywide and includes various kinds of organisations. TANGO is the umbrella organisation. There are health NGOs, economic empowerment groups and humanitarian groups like the Red Cross, churches and many others. It is a truly broad representation of civil society.
We are working closely with the government on climate change issues. Our government has been flagging these issues in international arenas, also at regional levels. So as NGOs we formed the coalition.We also work with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) based in Fiji and with the Department of the Environment. We have held regional civil society forums. We looked at issues of regional governance, health and gender and made recommendations to governments. Through these fora we prioritise what we want to do and draw up action plans. We also work on media awareness. In areas where islands are being eroded, we have projects where we assist the community to plant traditionally grown trees and, for example, to avoid the loss of coconut trees, which also provide us with a livelihood.
We want the population of Tuvalu to help itself. Some aspects of climate change are beyond our control. We cannot control it, apart from being representatives who participate in the international arenas where we can voice our concerns. Instead of just being reliant, being told what to do, we also need to do something ourselves.
Countries like the United States of America and even Australia*, one of our neighbours, are not so sympathetic towards the issue. They still have to ratify the Tokyo Protocol, the instrument which really highlights these issues. New Zealand is sympathetic. We have a migration scheme with New Zealand but Australia is not opening its doors to us. We work more closely with New Zealand’s civil society. For instance, in an upcoming meeting in Wellington we will discuss logistical preparations for hosting Tuvalu citizens.
* Article written before the change of government in Australia
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