High Commission of India
Suva (Fiji)
Inauguration of India funded Bio-molecular Laboratory in Tonga.
Press Release
On 7 December 2022??, a modern Bio-molecular Laboratory set up in Nuku’alofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific, and funded by the Government of India was inaugurated by Sh. P.S. Karthigeyan, High Commissioner of India to Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati and Tuvalu. The laboratory equipped with the latest testing and diagnostic equipment, is part of the USD 1.02 million support package provided by India to Tonga through the India- UN Development Partnership Fund to strengthen the nation’s Covid-19 response system and health care sector in general.
2. The India- UN Development Ppartnership Fund is a dedicated facility established in 2017 within United Nations Fund for South-South Cooperation (UNFSSC). It is supported and led by the Government of India, managed by United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), and implemented in collaboration with the United Nations system.
3. The India-UN Development Partnership Fund supports Southern-owned and led, demand-driven, and transformational sustainable development projects across the developing world, with a focus on least developed countries and small island developing states. United Nations agencies implement the Funds projects in close collaboration with partnering governments.
4. The laboratory project in Tonga was implemented through the UN Agencies in the Pacific in partnership with the Tongan Ministry of Health. The procurement of medical supplies including hospital equipment and equipment for IT infrastructure is under way and is likely to be completed shortly.
5. Speaking on the occasion, HC Karthigeyan highlighted the close and cordial relations between India and Tonga and the strong bilateral development partnership in areas including capacity building, climate change, renewable energy, Information Technology, health care and HADR support. Underlining the various possibilities to further strengthen the partnership in the health care sector, HC Karthigeyan reaffirmed India’s strong commitment to work closely with Tonga to build a more stronger and resilient nation.
6. On the occasion, he also elaborated to the large audience, India’s inclusive worldview and the country’s leading role in the global fight against the Covid pandemic, including through the Vaccine Maitri initiative in the pacific region.
7. Ongoing projects in Tonga funded under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund include the “Repair and Reconstruction of Tonga’s Export Building and Fumigation Facility” and “Installation of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power at the residences of the Heads of State”. They are expected to be completed shortly.
8. Among the dignitaries present at the inaugural event included Mr. Sanaka Samarasinha, UN Resident Coordinator for Fiji, Tonga, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, representatives of UNICEF, WHO, development partners and senior officials of the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga.
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07 December 2022
