1972-87, civil servant in the government of Fiji, working in the fields of rural development and foreign affairs. 1978, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Suva; postings included Japan, Australia and Fiji; in Fiji, served as Permanent Secretary of Information and Permanent Secretary to the Governor-General; 1987, resigned from the civil service; 2010, resumed diplomatic duties. Formerly: Fiji’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York; 2013, chaired the United Nations’ largest negotiating bloc, the Group of 77 and China; 2014, served as President of the Executive Board of the UN Development Programme/UN Population Fund/UN Office for Programme Support; President of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly. October 2017, appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean.