Leadership, Resilience, and Meaningful Change- A Testimony of Mr. Nehoray Azan Al-Nazhir on the Impact of the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme (BDTP)

Originally from Tuatua, Labasa, Mr. Al-Nazhir completed his Bachelors of Environmental Health with the Fiji National University and has now pursued his MSc Masters in Regional Development Studies and was honoured to receive the Best Master’s Thesis Award from Toyo University, Tokyo, Japan, for his research on the “𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆-𝒕𝒐-𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒖𝒗𝒂 𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂.”

Today, Mr. Al-Nazhir serves as a Senior Health Inspector and a Community Engagement Officer in Nausori Town Council. He envisions sustainable solutions to waste management challenges; specifically the issues surrounding landfills and dumping sites in Fiji.

What drew Mr. Al-Nazhir to UNA Fiji was a keen interest in international affairs and his beliefs that diplomacy is key to promoting peace in the international arena. His interests were recognized and “fine-tuned” by the Honourable Founder and President, Mr. Akmal Ali who introduced him to the Basic Diplomacy Training Programme.

Through UNA Fiji, he gained confidence in presenting ideas, improved his research skills, and learned to view challenges holistically. BDTP, through Summation preparations, trained Mr. Al-Nazhir in sourcing and retrieving factual and relevant information.

This training was then translated into valuable skills when he was conducting his research. A highlight for Mr. Al-Nazhir is the “Mindfulness” session in BDTP, which grounded him and taught him the importance of stress management.

Mr. Al-Nazhir graduated from the BDTP Class of 2023 at the top of his class as the Best Graduate Speaker, demonstrating his ability to project his voice to reach a pragmatic consensus with his fellow delegates.

Mr. Al-Nazhir also credits his Supervisor, Professor Toshiya Aramaki, who guided him in conducting technical analysis, and the former CEO of Nausori and Nasinu Town Council, Mrs. Annurashika Bari who has been a pillar of inspiration in his professional journey.

In his professional journey, he seeks to advance Waste-to-Energy incineration as a pathway to reduce waste volume, recover energy, and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Al-Nazhir envisions a Fiji moving towards a circular economy, where waste is transformed into a resource for growth.

Mr. Al-Nazhir concludes with these words of inspiration to readers: “Pursue opportunities without hesitation, and apply the skills gained to their fullest potential.” The impact of UNA Fiji extends far beyond training; it inspires leadership, resilience, and meaningful change.

𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬, 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 & 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞