Young Pacific Leaders Regional Workshop
35 leaders selected to attend the 2023 Young Pacific Leaders Embracing Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights Workshop in Apia, Samoa.
The U.S. Department of State, in partnership with Cultural Vistas, is pleased to announce that 35 leaders were selected to attend the Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Embracing Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights Workshop this October 2023 in Apia, Samoa, through a competitive application process open to applicants from Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Islands of French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and the American-affiliated Pacific including American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawai’i.
The 2023 YPL Embracing Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights Workshop in Apia, Samoa, will bring together emerging leaders from the 23 YPL-eligible nations and territories throughout the Pacific to identify salient topics across the region related to equity, inclusion, and human rights and the ways to work together to develop tangible solutions. The program will consist of pre-workshop and post-workshop virtual activities for preparation and reflection and an in-person workshop.
For a list of the leaders selected to attend the 2023 YPL Embracing Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights Workshop, please see below:
Tulimalefoi Vaofanua (American Samoa)
Siniva Mann (American Samoa)
Aioletuna Sunia (American Samoa)
Henry Manoa Heritage (Australia)
Aisake Nasedra (Australia)
Deborah Logoia (Australia)
Vilimaina Tamata (Fiji)
Lee Reef (Fiji)
Dylan Siliusi Kava (Fiji)
Haani San Nicolas (Guam)
Nawahine Lanzilotti (Hawaii)
Lexi Kaili (Hawaii)
Henty Grace Pine (Kiribati)
Nemuko Caihe (New Caledonia)
Cullum Peni-Wesche (New Zealand)
Nera Tautau (New Zealand)
Vaisioa Wilson (New Zealand)
Amber Holly Osima (Palau)
Sophia Teio (Papua New Guinea)
Dempstar John Kiasaka (Papua New Guinea)
Emma Minimbi (Papua New Guinea)
Sosefina Eunice Faaoso Noa (Samoa)
Eseese Moke-Ah Sam (Samoa)
Charles Dean (Samoa)
Vanessa Tanuvasa (Samoa)
Merald Ajo (Solomon Islands)
Metua Taurarii (Cook Islands)
Mereana Bishop (Cook Islands)
Nedine Songeni (Federated States of Micronesia)
Marisha A. Jones (Federated States of Micronesia)
Vailaua Lotoaniu (Tonga)
Falili Simeona (Tuvalu)
Niko Shem (Vanuatu)
Yannick Tarivuhavuha (Vanuatu)
For questions about the YPL Embracing Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights Workshop, please contact ypl@culturalvistas.org.
Launched in 2013, the Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Initiative is the U.S. Government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific. Through programs and engagements, including U.S. educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding, YPL seeks to build the leadership capabilities of young leaders and strengthen ties between the United States and the Pacific. YPL focuses on critical topics identified by youth in the region: Education, Environment and Resource Management, Civic Leadership, and Economic and Social Development.