Leota Kosi Latu Explained

Office3:Director-General of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Deputy3:Easter Chu Sing
Term Start3:January 2016
Term End3:3 April 2022
Predecessor3:David Sheppard
Successor3:Sefanaia Nawadra

Leota Namulauulu Lalomanu Kosi Latu is a Samoan lawyer and diplomat who served as Director-General of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme from 2016 to 2022. He is the brother of rugby player and lawyer George Latu.[1]

Latu was educated at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.[2] He worked as a prosecutor for the Samoan Attorney General's Office before moving to London to work as a lawyer for the Commonwealth Secretariat. From 2006 to 2008 he worked for the United Nations Office for Project Services alongside the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat in Suva, Fiji.[2]

In 2008 he was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. In September 2015 he was selected as its Director-General.[3] From the beginning of his term as Director he was a strong voice on climate change, urging Pacific nations to speak up[4] and demanding rich nations show greater ambition in reducing emissions.[5] At the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice he urged countries to hold temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.[6] In 2019, he opened the Pacific Climate Change Centre in Apia, Samoa, to serve as a regional research center on the issue.[7] [8] Other issues he focused on included nuclear waste shipments[9] and waste dumping by fishing boats.[10]

His term as Director-General ended on 3 April 2022. He was replaced by Sefanaia Nawadra.[11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Tamaitai Samoa: Their stories . Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop . University of the South Pacific . Suva . 1998 . 140 .
  2. Web site: Mr. Kosi Latu . United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs . 26 July 2022.
  3. Web site: New Director-General of SPREP, Mr. Kosi Latu . SPREP . 23 September 2015 . 26 July 2022.
  4. Web site: Even louder regional voice needed in international arena . RNZ . 18 February 2016 . 26 July 2022.
  5. Web site: SPREP head calls for more ambition at COP23 . RNZ . 17 November 2017 . 26 July 2022.
  6. Web site: Pacific fighting for 1.5 degrees at COP24 . RNZ . 11 December 2018 . 26 July 2022.
  7. Web site: The Pacific Climate Change Centre Is Officially Open! . Reliefweb . 5 September 2019. 26 July 2022.
  8. Web site: Climate Change Centre will bring experts, professionals to Samoa . Samoa Observer . Sapeer Mayron . 4 September 2019 . 26 July 2022.
  9. Web site: Nuke waste shipments in Pacific a worry for SPREP . RNZ . 18 September 2017 . 26 July 2022.
  10. Web site: Call for curb on waste dumping by Pacific fishing fleets . RNZ . 7 June 2017 . 26 July 2022.
  11. Web site: Sefanaia Nawadra – New Director General For SPREP . Fiji Sun . 9 September 2021 . 26 July 2022.
  12. Web site: SPREP pays tribute as Director General bows out . Samoa Observer . Adel Fruean . 1 April 2022 . 26 July 2022.

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