UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and and President of the General Assembly Joseph Deiss, were amongst over a hundred guests who attended the luncheon on Wednesday, to celebrate Fiji's 40th Independence Anniversary in New York.

In his address at the luncheon, Fiji's Ambassador in New York, Peter Thomson said Fiji treasured its membership of the United Nations, seeing in it his country's dedication to strive for good global citizenship.
 
He said that Fiji took its place as the 127th member of the United Nations just three days after becoming an independent nation in October 1970.
 
Ambassador Thomson expressed sincere gratitude to the great majority of the members of the United Nations who had taken the trouble over the last year to express to the Fiji Mission their assurances of understanding, of encouragement and friendship.
 
He reported that Fiji was calmly proceeding through a national reform agenda necessary for sustainable democracy to be ingrained into the country's fabric, so that Fiji would be a better place for all Fijians.
 
He said that in 2014, for the first time in the nation's history, Fijians would go to general elections under universal suffrage without regard to race.


Story by: Selina Navuso