Miki Wali

Last updated

Miki Wali
Born
Fiji
Occupation(s)Activist for democracy, transgender rights and the impact of climate change
EmployerFemTALK 89FM
Organization(s)Fiji Youth for Democracy
Haus of Khameleon
Pacific Feminist Forum
International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) Oceania

Miki CharlamagneWali is a Fijian activist for democracy, transgender rights and the impact of climate change. She is the Director of the Haus of Khameleon, a movement led by transgender women and gender non-conforming Fijians, and Co-Chair of International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) Oceania. Wali was part of the Pacific Young Women’s Caucus at the United Nations (UN) in 2015, and has campaigned as the Public Relations Officer of Fiji Youth for Democracy. She also presents radio program Miki on Monday’s on the women led community radio station FemTALK 89FM.

Biography

In 2013, after Fiji's military-backed regime scrapped the 2012 People's Draft constitution, which had been written by Yash Ghai after consultations with the Fijian population, Wali was Public Relations Officer for the group Fiji Youth for Democracy which presented a petition to the prime minister's office calling for the draft constitution to be reinstated. The group had collected 165 signatures. [1] She also called for more consultation with young people and a referendum on the change to the Flag of Fiji. [2]

At the at the 59th Session on the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in 2015, Wali was part of the Pacific Young Women’s Caucus, heading the drafting and governance strategies team with the Pacific Youth Council’s (PYC) Tahere Siisiialafia. [3] In 2016, Wali contributed to the Pacific Feminist Forum's "Pacific Feminist Charter," launched at the University of the South Pacific. [4] [5] [6]

Wali is the Director of the Haus of Khameleon, [7] a movement that is led by transgender women and gender non-conforming Fijians. As Director, in 2018 she worked with the Asia Pacific Transgender Network to campaign for legal gender recognition for transgender people in Fiji and to call for the government to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). [8] The Haus of Khameleon has also published research on discrimination faced by Fijian transgender women, titled "Every Breath a Transgender Women Takes is an Act of Revolution: Fighting for Intersectional Justice in Fiji", under Wali's leadership. [9] She has also spoken at international panel discussions organised by the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth's LGBT Core Group. [10]

Wali is the host of FemLINKPACIFIC’s program Miki on Monday’s on women led community radio station FemTALK 89FM, which is part of the Rainbow Connections collaboration between the Haus of Khameleon, Rainbow Women’s Network and Diverse Voices and Action for Equality Fiji. [11] She is also Co-Chair of ILGA Oceania.[ citation needed ]

Wali is a climate change activist and called for Pacific Islanders to protest outside Australian and New Zealand High Commissions, Embassies and Consul Offices. [12] In 2019, she was recognised as one of the 2019 Global Climate sHeroes by the Human Impacts Institute. [13]

References

  1. ↑ "Fiji youth group rejects regime draft constitution". ABC News (Australia) . 30 April 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Fiji youth want more say, less tokenism". Radio New Zealand (RNZ). 7 May 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Young Feminists Release Statement for the 59th Session of CS". Scoop News NZ. 29 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  4. ↑ "Launch of the Pacific Feminists Charter for Change". Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM) 1986-2026. 2 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 July 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  5. ↑ Kumar, Vishaal (5 December 2016). "First for the Pacific". Fiji Times . Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  6. ↑ Alver, Jane. (7 April 2020) "Building inclusive young women’s leadership in the Pacific: Spaces for change" In Lee-Koo, Katrina and Pruitt, Lesley (eds.) Young Women and Leadership. London: Routledge. pp. 63-78. ISBN   9780429261480.
  7. ↑ Deo, Dhanjay (17 May 2020). "No one should be treated unfairly or subjected to any form of harm and abuse during COVID-19 pandemic - Haus of Khameleon". Fiji Village. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  8. ↑ Kumar, Vishaal (20 November 2018). "Activist working on legal gender recognition". Fiji Times. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Kumar, Rashika (21 November 2020). "Research by Haus of Khameleon says 70% of transgender women in Fiji have experienced some form of violence". Fiji Village. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Standing up for LGBTI Youth". Permanent mission of France to the United Nations in New York. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  11. ↑ "Miki Wali - Host, Producer and Broadcaster". Pacific Data Hub. 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  12. ↑ "Not Drowning, Fighting…". Institute for Human Security and Social Change Blog. 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  13. ↑ "The Global Climate sHeros". Human Impacts Institute. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
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