Mr. Setareki Macanawai is a leading disability advocate in the Pacific region and has served in the committees of many international and regional organizations concerned with disability. He is currently the CEO for the Pacific Disability Forum. Previously, he worked as the Executive Director for the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons and as the Head Teacher of the Fiji School for the Blind. He has presented papers at regional and international meetings and conferences, and has written several articles on
disability.
Mr. Macanawai was instrumental in developing Fiji’s first national policy on disability, using the Biwako Millennium Framework of Action as a model. He is a also member of AusAID’s Disability-Inclusive Development Reference Group (DRG), a small honorary advisory group, comprising international and Australian leaders and active participants in disability-inclusive development.
In recognition of his achievements in the field of disability, Mr. Macanawai has received a number of regional and international awards including: the Disability Pasifika Award, awarded by the Pacific Disability Forum, the Regional Rights Resource Team/Secretariat of the Pacific Community (RRRT/SPC) 2008 Pacific Human Rights Award and the 6th Kazuo Itoga Memorial Foundation Award in Japan for advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in the Pacific region.