MS. LOUKINIKINI VILI LEWARAVU | SAMOA | LLB, PDLP
One of the special things about USP is that it is a melting pot, a gathering of diverse Pacific people and distinct cultures and its students are fortunate to have the opportunity to interact with each other, not only in classrooms learning together, but also living side by side in the University’s halls of residence. They play sports and study long hours together, they attend and participate in a variety of social events including, experiencing the town’s night life together, it’s all part and parcel of the unique experience that many a USP alumnus can relate to. And through this, enduring friendships and strong bonds are formed, that cement and anchor the network of USP Alumni, who work in government, NGO and private sector spaces.
Ms. Loukinikini Vili Lewaravu is a Samoan lawyer, a wife and mother and currently Director of the Fiji Human Rights Anti-Discrimination Commission, based in Suva. She was appointed to the role in 2023, aligning well with joining her husband in Fiji.
Loukinikini or Lou as she prefers, was the first in her family to attend university and becoming a lawyer was her ultimate dream career. The expectations were high, as it is for many Pacific students, and studying hard and passing exams were priority when she enrolled into the LLB program and moved to Emalus Campus in Vanuatu in 2004.
With the benefit of hindsight and experience, Lou reflects on studies at USP, and shares an insight that’s profound. And that is to let students know how important it is to enjoy learning and have fun while you’re doing so, especially with new subjects. Otherwise just learning for the sake of learning can become tedious and boring, you lose perspective and study just to pass. It need not be like that and finding out your “why” and “what before you enroll at USP, gives studies greater purpose and meaning and you get some joy from the experience.
The USP law school based at Emalus Campus is where Lou studied. She involved herself in the Samoan Students Association and the USP Netball team for example. These extracurricular activities enhanced her learning experience, providing not only a network of friends to lean into when she needed support, but also a sense of community and family especially when she was far from home.
Lou found campus life fun, taking part in various activities hosted by the university, like the USP Open day for example. These occasions gave Lou and many others, an opportunity to enjoy something different, to entertain and be entertained and engage outside of the classroom, building new friendships with other Pacific students. In addition, something Lou also found valuable, was mingling and getting to know the local ni-Vanuatu community around her. Those were good days and the USP campus experience, helped shape Lou in many ways.
Upon graduating in 2007, Lou signed up as a law clerk with the Civil Team at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) of Samoa. From a humble a humble law clerk to working her way up to become Principal State Solicitor, was a huge accomplishment and Lou did this in just on 7years in the OAG’s office (2007-2014).
Lou explained that her knowledge of the law, gleaned from university lecturers, developed expeditiously while at the Attorney General’s office. She was exposed to and experienced different engagements and at very different levels, (from workshops to meetings, conferences, training and taskforce gatherings) all helped develop her network and peer engagement both nationally and internationally. Lou goes further to say that the latter is really important as it helps open doors to further professional opportunities and gives you access to information and support or assistance when you need it. In addition, through the OAG’s office, Lou was able to travel the world and learn about other fields. Travel and professional exposure were important during this time and Lou was fortunate for example, to do a 9 month secondment at the Advisory Center on WTO in Geneva, Switzerland.
The decision to resign from OAG, and her first job, was not an easy one. However, the opportunity to move into something dynamic and groundbreaking was too exciting to pass up and Lou left the OAG to became a Human Rights Advocate with Samoa’s National Human Rights Institution (Samoa NHRI) under the Ombudsman Office. She was part of a team that established the foundations for the Samoa NHRI, contributing talent and time to build it up to where it is today, recognized as an A-status institution. And at the time Lou worked there, Samoa was the only small island Pacific country with A status. Outside of Australia and NZ, only Samoa, Fiji and Tuvalu have NHRI’s.
Lou worked at the Samoa Human Rights Institution for over 9yrs. She was Legal Advisor for a year and four months and was Director of the NHRI for close to 8yrs. This was an extremely rewarding time in her career and in effect, was to play an important part in helping Lou secure the role in 2004, as Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission. Working at the Samoa NHRI was a proud moment in Lou’s career and being a part of the team that established and set the foundational work of the institution, was both rewarding and exhilarating for this USP alumnus.
In appointing Lou as Director of Fiji’s Human Rights and Anit Discrimination Commission in 2023, the Chairman of the Board Mr. Pravesh Sharma said that Ms. Loukinikini Lewaravu, “brought a lot of expertise and experience to this role, having a broad knowledge and understanding of international human rights law, the UN Human Rights mechanism and regional human rights issues”. And prior to joining the Fiji HRADC, Lou was part of a team in the Asia Pacific Forum of NHRI’s, OHCHR and UNDP, where as an NHRI expert, she conducted a capacity assessment for the Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
We had the opportunity to ask Loukinikini a few more questions and we are happy to share her response.
• What are your current goals and aspirations?
My current goal and aspirations is to strengthen the Fiji Human Rights Commission so it can become an A-status institution (currently B). And also support the office to strengthen the protection and promotion of the rights of the people of Fiji.
• How do you see your field evolving in the future?
Human Rights issues have been evolving in the Pacific and require better and robust protection, prevention and promotion. Only 3 small island countries in the Pacific have NHRIs- Samoa, Fiji and Tuvalu. Other SIDS are either in the process of setting up their NHRIs or are interested in setting up. NHRI is a new mechanism in the pacific and with the knowledge and experience that I have developed in this field, I would like to assist and support other SIDS who have or are looking at developing NHRIs to better protect and promote the human rights of our pacific people (or just generally supporting the protection of human rights in the pacific).
• What does it mean to you to be an alumnus of, your school or USP?
Being part of the school or USP that helped pave the way for my career.
• What did you take from studying at USP that serves you in good stead today?
Aside from obtaining a law degree and what I have learned, I would say that the network and pool of peers and friends that I developed from around the Pacific (some have become family friends), is what I have taken from USP and has served me well. It’s amazing how you can easily access information and contacts in other Pacific countries because some of your classmates are also working in these spaces/field, in their respective countries.
Another thing was the humble learnings at USP Emalus. Compared to other countries and their big university structures and resources, the campus in Vanuatu, did not have any fancy buildings and resources. So, there wasn’t much to enjoy…but to study. So, it was a humble beginning and we would always reflect on that….struggling to survive and trying to enjoy studying in such an environment, kept me grounded because I was also reminded of the humble beginnings of my family who worked hard to ensure that I succeed in my education.
