Francis Bugotu

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Francis Bugotu
University of Lancaster

Francis Bugotu

South Pacific Commission
from 1982 to 1986.

Early life

Bugotu was born in

Diocese of Melanesia (1959–1960). He was appointed to the Legislative Council of the Solomon Islands in 1960, serving until 1962.[1]

Academia

Bugotu became an officer in the Education Department in 1962, and in 1964 moved to Scotland to attend

University of Lancaster in England, becoming the first Solomon Islander to complete a Master of Arts degree.[1]

Public life

In the years leading up to independence in 1978, Bugotu held a number of senior positions in the Solomon Islands Public Service. He was chairman of the Review Committee on Education (1974–1975), Permanent Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs, and Permanent Secretary to the Council of Ministers. After independence, he became the inaugural secretary of the

roving ambassador and high commissioner".[1] At his own suggestion, he was simultaneously accredited to the U.S., the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, West Germany, Sweden, the UN, and the European Economic Community. This model was subsequently taken up by several other small countries.[2]

Bugotu was the inaugural

South Pacific Commission, the first Solomon Islander to hold the position. He was responsible for the organisation's decision to allow non-sovereign states to join, thereby significantly increasing its membership.[4] His term was extended by two years in October 1984, the first time that had occurred.[2]

In 1990, Bugotu was reappointed Permanent Representative to the UN and also accredited as Ambassador to the U.S. and Canada. He died of a heart attack in 1992, aged 55, while attending the

South Pacific Forum in Honiara.[5] He was replaced by colleague diplomat Bernard Bata'anisia in New York from August 1992.[citation needed
]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Bugotu, Francis (1937 - 1992)". Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b "People". Pacific Islands Monthly. 1 May 1985. p. 29.
  3. ^ "150th Member Nation". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 13 October 1978.
  4. ^ "South Pacific Commission widens membership". The Canberra Times. 31 July 1984.
  5. ^ "Diplomat dies". Pacific Islands Monthly. 1 August 1992. p. 5.
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