Good morning, Namaste and Ni Sa Bula

It gives me a great pleasure to commemorate the official handing over of a new Backhoe Loader to the Nasinu Town Council today. I wish to express my appreciation for your kind hospitality and the warm welcome accorded to me and my staff from the Embassy this morning.

The decision by Japan to fund this project was undertaken in recognition of the hardships faced by Nasinu Town Council in conserving its environment effectively. Being one of the most densely populated municipalities in Fiji, I strongly hope that this Backhoe loader will greatly help the Nasinu Town Council in its effort to promote a healthy environment and maintain the natural beauty while further promoting infrastructural development in this area.

To be able to provide flexible and timely support to development projects at the grass-roots level such as this project, the Japanese Government offers a financial assistance scheme for development projects designed to meet the diverse needs of grassroots in developing countries. Known as Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects program, this scheme supports projects proposed by bodies such as Local Government Authorities, Hospitals, Schools, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). In the last Japanese fiscal year, namely April 2009 to March 2010 period, Japan has provided 13 projects under its GGP scheme with a total value of approximately 1 million US dollars around Fiji Islands, and among these 13 projects, this is the twelfth project to be handed over successfully.

To conclude, this donation of new Backhoe loader is a symbol of the firm friendship between the people and governments of Japan and Fiji and, with these words, I officially handover this new Backhoe Loader to Nasinu Town Council for the benefit of the people of Nasinu.