GOPIO launches Suva chapter, shifts focus to Oceania region – Fiji Times

THE inaugural Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Suva (Fiji) chapter was launched in Suva on Sunday.

The organisation, which was formed in 1989 in New York, has shifted its focus on the Oceania region, primarily Fiji.

While launching the event, GOPIO Oceania co-ordinator Suman Kapoor said since its inception, the organisation had been creating awareness and promoting understanding of issues of concern for people of Indian origin (PIO) and non-resident Indians (NRIs).

"For the first time in the history of overseas Indians, a successful attempt was made in 1989 to bring the global Indian community together on one platform," Ms Kapoor said.

"Issues of concern relate to social, cultural, educational, economic or political of the NRI/PIO communities around the globe."

Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy said it was through organisations such as GOPIO that ethnic bonding and connections were strengthened.

"There is a shift in human thinking, behaviour and other patterns of living. Humans are now discovering, experimenting and making things which had never been thought of before," he said.

"This organisation has grown in stature, now being recognised to be at the forefront of bringing the Indian diaspora closer to India and fortify the integral bond between India and its diaspora."

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GOPIO launches Suva chapter, shifts focus to Oceania region - Fiji Times