One of the nicest moments of COFI a couple of weeks ago happened after hours, at the retirement party for Blaise Kuemlangan, who is leaving FAO after 30 years in Rome.
This was Blaise's last COFI, and also the first for Melvin Silk, the MCS supervisor at MIMRA, who was the Marshall Islands head of delegation; I like to think the mana passed on. As one good man of the Pacific leaves the international arena, another one joins it.
Blaise has represented the Pacific, and he has also given a great deal to the wider global community. Zita and their children supported him throughout, and what they achieved together shows real collaboration and dedication. It takes a remarkable person to do that job in a foreign land for so long, giving help and advice with steady commitment and goodwill.
I met him on my first job as a consultant when transitioning from fisheries in 1998, while he was doing some work in Tonga, and he was a reference for all of us in Rome; in fact, once I got my position at FAO HQ, he was my first point of reference… always with a smile and good advice.
Most of his work was legal, and in fisheries, that is where things either hold up or fall apart. He spent years in FAO's Development Law Service, helping countries write and update their fisheries and aquaculture laws so their obligations existed in national law and inspectors and prosecutors had something solid to work with. He was deeply involved in the legal side of the fight against IUU fishing, especially in helping countries incorporate the Port State Measures Agreement into domestic legislation. A lot of the national laws I work with in the region have his fingerprints on them somewhere, even if his name isn't on the cover page.
FAO and Rome will feel the gap left by this smiling Manusian, after a three-decade legacy. His work on international fisheries governance, legal frameworks and capacity building has made things stronger for Papua New Guinea, for the Pacific and beyond.
Many Pacific Islanders will miss having Blaise and Zita in Rome, and so will I… They are the best unofficial ambassadors the region could have had.
Thank you, Blaise Kuemlangan, for your friendship, service, and commitment to Pacific communities. Enjoy the new chapter.
I was told once that I am a “big” friend of the Pacific, but only when I see myself in pictures. I think that is “big in the Godzilla sense” more than in terms of my relationship with the region, which is over half my life!!
I’m just a giant!