GOVERNMENT will review 26 laws introduced between 2007 and 2022 that directly affect iTaukei land, resources, trust funds and traditional institutions, acting Attorney-General Siromi Turaga told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting his ministerial statement on strengthening iTaukei rights and institutions under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Mr Turaga said nearly 30 laws were introduced through promulgations, decrees and Acts of Parliament during the period.
“Of those, 26 laws have been specifically identified for review because they bear directly on iTaukei land, resources, trust funds and traditional institutions,” Mr Turaga said.
The review, he said, is not simply about repealing or amending laws, but about restoring confidence and addressing concerns affecting iTaukei communities.
“Twenty-six laws may appear, at first glance, to be simply a number. But behind every one of those laws are people.
“Behind them are landowners, families, villages and institutions. Behind them are questions of land, identity, culture, tradition and representation.”
He said some of the laws had been introduced without the level of consultation expected by the vanua.
