A global sporting icon and legendary rugby figure, Fesola’i Vaaiga Tu’igamala, has thrown his support behind efforts by stakeholders in the waste sector of the Pacific, to keep the Pacific clean.
“Inga the Winger” as he is famously known has been confirmed as an inspirational speaker for the Third Clean Pacific Roundtable (3rdCPRT), scheduled for the 16 – 25 November 2021.
Facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with members and partners, the biennial event aims to facilitate networking and dialogue, improve donor coordination, mobilise technical and financial resources and to develop monitoring and reporting methods to monitor progress of the Cleaner Pacific 2025.
“We are delighted to welcome such a legendary figure in the Pacific to help us push the messages of this conference,” said Mr Anthony Talouli, SPREP’s Acting Director of Waste Management, Pollution Control/Pollution Adviser.
“Inga’s story is so inspirational. He has achieved many firsts for the Pacific in terms of his calling and talents as a sportsman. He experienced many highs, he has also had to deal with many lows but he has remained steadfast and strong with the ability to still inspire and encourage our communities.
“It is why we are privileged to welcome him onboard. We look forward to working with him and hearing from him on influencing communities and using his experience to try to transform behaviours and attitudes towards waste, an issue we can no longer ignore in the Pacific.”
Close to a 100 participants from the government sector, waste and environmental practitioners, development partners, private sector, community, NGOs, academic and research institutions, are expected to attend. Inga the Winger will be among the list of speakers for the first day, which include New Caledonia’s Prime Minister and the Director General of SPREP, Kosi Latu.
“I feel extremely privileged to be part of the roundtable. I might be many things in the eyes of the public when it comes to sports but I am a proud Samoan/Tongan at heart and that is my identity,” Fesola’i said.
“As such, the best thing I can do to help is to give back to our people on incentives that change lives. Having lived in Samoa for the past few years, I see that dealing with waste has become such a critical issue for the Pacific, especially the need to manage it.
“Waste threatens livelihoods, it destroys our pristine and blue Pacific environment. We must come together, we must act now. If I can influence one person to change their habits when it comes to dealing with waste, I will be very happy.”
“Inga the Winger” was a dual international who became the Pacific’s first sporting millionaire. He represented both the All Blacks and Manu Samoa, and he played rugby league professionally for many years, including an extremely successful stint at Wigan.
But his passion doesn’t stop with rugby. He loves boxing and when he moved to Samoa in 2015, he used the sport of Boxing to reach out and equip people of all ages and backgrounds.
He is a gifted speaker who has spoken on many platforms, locally and worldwide. Fesolai’s story is based on humble beginnings, someone who went on to achieve some of the things many people can only dream of. He is married to Daphne, and has 4 children and 4 grandchildren. He is from the villages of: Faleasiu , Saanapu , Sataua and Safune.
The Clean Pacific Roundtable is the regional mechanism that empowers regional and national cooperation for the implementation of the Pacific Regional Waste and Pollution Management Strategy 2016-2025 (Cleaner Pacific 2025). This year’s meeting will focus on the following key themes:
• Creating a safe Pacific Circular Economy
• Waste industry-based enterprise with enhanced public-private partnerships
• Bridging people and waste: Enhancing consciousness in managing waste
To hear Inga the Winger’s story, register now: https://www.cleanpacificroundtable.com/cprt3-history.
ABOUT THE 3rd CPRT
The Third Clean Pacific Roundtable is a partnership event supported by New Caledonia, Acotred Pacific, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), Australian Aid (AUS Aid), European Union (EU), Fonds Pacifique, Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), UN Environment Program (UNEP), Province SUD and Province NORD.