Tributes are flowing in for Fiji's first diplomat to the United Nations, the late Satyanand Nandan.
Mr Nandan died in New York after an illness.
Satya Nandan Photo: IISD
The UN said Mr Nandan left behind a "shining legacy of scholarship, mentorship and friendship" and was an inspiration for the Pacific and the world.
While Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Fiji had lost a "titan of diplomacy", who would be remembered as a "true global citizen".
Australian High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji, John Feakes, said Ambassador Nandan was an "impressive figure who served his country and our region with distinction".
"He played an integral role in finalising the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which continues to shape the world's peaceful and sustainable enjoyment of the oceans."
Transform Aqorau, the former chief executive of the Parties to Nauru Agreement office, also paid tribute to Mr Nandan's contributions.
"Ambassador Satya Nandan stands tall amongst the giants of the Pacific Islands who have contributed so much to the economic and social wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific Islands," he said in a statement.
It is with great sadness that we learn of the loss of Fiji’s 1st diplomat to the @UN , Amb. Satyanand Nandan. He leaves behind a shining legacy of scholarship, mentorship & friendship - an inspiration for the #Pacific & the world. Vinaka vaka levu Ambassador@SanakaS @sprasadfj https://t.co/x3rBGpE1iz
— United Nations in the Pacific (@UN_Pasifika) February 27, 2020
Mr Nandan was Fiji's representative to the United Nations in the early 1970s when the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was being negotiated, he said, and was one of those who fought very hard for the establishment of the 200 mile exclusive economic zone.
Dr Aqorau, the former chief executive of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, said there were few Pacific Islanders of his standing who had left such a legacy with such "huge economic and social ramifications for the Pacific Islands region".
"I don't know of anyone who has done more to really influence and shape our oceans and fisheries in a way that reaches into the pockets and homes of Pacific Islanders that the late Ambassador Satya."
Mr Nandan had an illustrious international career, Dr Aqorau said, but his heart was always with his home in Fiji and the peoples of the Pacific Islands.
"We have lost a mentor, and someone whom every one across the world who has worked on the law of the sea knows."
It is my saddest duty to inform friends of the passing of Amb. Satya Nandan; one of Fiji’s most distinguished diplomats; the former Sec Gen of the International Seabed Authority; a respected scholar on seas and oceans and most of all one of the humblest human beings. pic.twitter.com/5n2t8wHrUe
— Satyendra Prasad (@sprasadfj) February 26, 2020
