Tongan leader recognised at US awards

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Tongan Civil Society leader Siale ʻEmeline ʻIlolahia has been named as one of the four recipients of the Jose Edgardo Campos Collaborative Leadership Award 2017 in Washington yesterday.

The Awards showcased individuals who have made a meaningful impact and contribution to their organisation and community.

The Pacific Leadership Program nominated Mrs. Ilolahia for the Oceania region, for her efforts in building and supporting coalitions for change in Tonga.

As the Civil Society Forum of Tonga reported ʻIlolahia was the Executive Director and co-founder of the Civil Society Forum of Tonga.

It said she has been instrumental in bringing together and supporting coalitions working on issues as diverse as women’s access to finance, women’s leadership and political participation, and deep sea mining.

Siale ʻEmeline ʻIlolahia. Photo/Facebook

Mrs. Ilolahia was also a founding member of the Tonga National Leadership Development Forum, a group of leaders from a range of sectors who developed a National Leadership Code for Tonga.

The Leadership Code defines Tonga’s vision for good leadership and reflects progressive leadership norms of accountability and transparency.

In developing the Leadership Code, Mrs Ilolahia helped facilitate nationwide community conversations on leadership and what it means in to the Tongan people.

More than 20,000 people have now signed up to the code and committed to uphold its values (a significant figure in the context of a total population of just over 100,000), including King Tupou VI, the Queen, Crown Prince, Princess Mata’aho, the Prime Minister and members of Cabinet.

The Pacific Leadership Program’s Team Leader, Georgina Cope, confirmed Mrs. Ilolahia was a worthy recipient of the Award.

“We are thrilled that Siale’s hard work and talents have been recognised internationally.

Over the past decade, she has worked tirelessly with civil society actors and government to encourage collaboration for policy and other reforms in Tonga”, Ms Cope explained. “Under Siale’s leadership, Tonga’s civil society has become a force for development change which is helping everyday Tongans build a strong voice that is being heard by government and the nobility”.

The Awards were instituted in the memory of Jose Edgardo Campos, who used collaborative leadership to drive successful reform programs, including in his home country of the Philippines.

Mr. Campos was a Practice Manager for Leadership and Governance at the World Bank Institute and passed away in 2014.

The Jose Edgardo Campos Collaborative Leadership Awards were presented by the Global Partnership on Leadership for Development at the Global Leadership Forum currently underway in Washington, DC.

Other Awards recipients are Sir Fazle Abed, Bangladesh (Asia), Paula Gaviria Betancur, Colombia (South America) and Sofiane Ben Mohammed Sahraoui, Tunisia (MENA, Africa).

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  1. Kuo fakahingoa e taki ʻo e sōsaieti sivile ʻa Tongá Siale ʻEmeline ʻIlolahia ko e taha ia ʻo e toko fā kuo foaki kia kinautolu ʻa e pale ko e Jose Edgardo Campos Collaborative Leadership Award ʻaneafi ʻi Uasingatoni.

    Ko e palé ni ʻoku ʻoange ki ha taha kuo ʻaonga fau ʻene foaki ʻene ʻilo, talēniti mo e poto ki he kautaha ʻoku kau ki aí peá mo hono kominitií.

    Ne taaimuʻa ʻa ʻIlolahia ʻa ia ko e talēkita pule ia mo e kaungā-fokotuʻu ʻo e Fōlomu Sōsaieti Sivile ʻa Tongá ʻi hono fakatahatahaʻi ʻa e ngaahi kaveinga ngāue ʻo hangē ko e lava ke fakapaʻanga e ngaahi meʻa ki he kakai fefiné, ke taki e kakai fefiné mo nau kau ʻi he ngaahi meʻa fakapolitikalé pehē foki ki he ngaahi keli makakoloa ʻi kilisitahí.

    Ko e mēmipa ʻa ʻIlolahia ne kau hono fua fokotuʻu ʻo e Tonga National Leadership Development Forum, ko e kulupu ʻeni ʻo ha kau taki mei he ngaahi sekitoa kehekehe ne nau faʻu ʻa e kouti pe tuʻutuʻuni ʻa Tonga ki he National Leadership.

    ʻAia ʻoku fakaʻuhingaʻi ʻe he kouti ko ʻení e vīsone ʻa Tonga ki he taki leleí mo huluʻi mei ai ʻa e ʻulungāanga pau ʻo e takí ko e taliui mo e ʻatakituʻa.

    ʻI hono faʻu ko ia ʻo e Kouti ki he Takí, ne tokoni ʻa ʻIlolahia ke fakafaingamālieʻi ʻa e ngaahi talanoa ki he ngāue fakatakí peá ke ʻuhinga mālie foki ki he kakai Tongá.

    Kuo laka hake he toko 20,000 e kakai kuo nau fakamoʻoni ʻi he koutí ni mo nau tukupā ke pukepuke hono mahuʻingá.

    Ko e tokolahi ko ʻení ʻoku mahuʻinga fau ia fakahoa ki he tokolahi ʻo Tongá ʻa ia ʻoku laka siʻi pe ʻi he 100,000 pea ko e kau fakamoʻoni ko ʻeni kuo kau ai ʻa Kingi Tupou VI, ko e Kuiní, Pilinisi Kalauní, Pilinisesi Mataʻaho, Palēmiá mo e kau mēmipa ʻo e kapinetí.

    Kuo fakapapauʻi ʻe he taki ʻo e polokalama ki he Founga taki he Pasifikí Georgina Cope ʻa e tuha ʻa ʻIlolahia mo e pale ko ʻeni kuo foakí.

    ʻOku mau pātapata he ngāue lahi ʻa Sialé pea mo hono fakatokangaʻia fakavahaʻapuleʻanga ʻa hono talēnití, ko e lau ia ʻa Cope.

    Ne ne pehē ʻi he tēketi kuohilí ne ne ngāue taʻettoetukuhaivi mo e kau ngāue ʻi he sōsaieti sivilié mo e puleʻangá ke fakalotolahia e ngāue fakataha ki he ngaahi fokotuʻutuʻu ngāue mo e liliu ʻi Tongá, ko e fakamatala ia ʻa Cope.

    ʻI he tataki ʻa Sialé kuo hoko ai e sōsaieti sivile ʻa Tongá ko e ivi teke mālohi ki he fakalakalaká ʻa ia ʻoku tokoni fakaʻaho ki he kau Tongá ke ongona honau leʻó ʻe he puleʻangá mo e houʻeiki nōpelé.

    Ko e pale ko ʻení ko e fakamanatu ia ʻo Jose Edgardo Campos, ʻa ia ne ne ngāueʻaki ʻa e founga taki ʻoku ʻku fakafou he founga fengāueʻakí ke teke ha ngaahi polokalama liliu pea ne iku ʻo ola lelei kau ai ʻa hono fonuá ʻa Filipaine.

    Ko Campos ko e Practice Manager ia ki he polokalama Leadership and Governance ʻa e Pangikē ʻa Māmaní ka ne ne mate ʻi he taʻu 2014.

    Ko kinautolu kehe ne foaki ki ai ʻa e palé ni ko Sir Fazle Abed, Bangladesh (Asia), Paula Gaviria Betancur, Colombia (South America) mo Sofiane Ben Mohammed Sahraoui, Tunisia (MENA, Africa).