1 Tonga Country Profile

Tonga Country Profile

Generic Information

Tonga officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands of which 36 are inhabited. The total surface area is about 750 square kilometres (290 square miles) scattered over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 square miles) of the southern Pacific Ocean. In 2014, the population of Tonga is estimated at 105,000 of whom 70% live on the main island of Tongatapu.

Tonga stretches across approximately 800 kilometres (500 mi) in a north-south line. It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna (France) to the northwest, Samoa to the northeast, Niue to the east, Kermadec (part of New Zealand) to the southwest, and New Caledonia (France) and Vanuatu to the farther west.

Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures. For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:

Wikipedia Information on Tonga

IMF Information on Tonga

Economist Intelligence Unit information on Tonga*

(*note - this is a paid service)

Humanitarian Info:

UNOCHA Information on Tonga

Facts and Figures:

Wolfram Alpha Information on Tonga

World Bank Information on Tonga

Tonga Population Information

1.1 Tonga Humanitarian Background

Tonga Humanitarian Background

Tonga Humanitarian Background

For information on Tonga Humanitarian and Government contact details please see the following links:

4.1 Tonga Government Contact List

4.2 Tonga Humanitarian Agency Contact List

Disasters, Conflicts and Migration

Natural Disasters
Type	Occurs	Comments / Details
Drought	Yes	Severe droughts have occurred in 2016 due to the El Nino Weather Phenomenon
Earthquakes	Yes	Severe earthquakes hit Tonga in 2009 (8.1 magnitude), in 2013 (7.4 magnitude) and 2014 (7.1 magnitude) with some damage to the infrastructure and community
Epidemics	Yes	No specific epidemics, though Tonga is at risk from emerging and re-emerging communicable diseases, like TB, SARS, Zika and avian influenza (HPAI H5N1)
Extreme Temperatures	No	Recently Tonga has experienced heat stress due to increased temperature
Flooding	Yes	No specific flooding, though low-lying areas are subject to severe ponding of water when large rainfall occurs generally during wet season which affects the population, agriculture and transport sectors and poses health risks
Insect Infestation	Yes	As for all Pacific Islands countries, pests and disease pose a huge danger to Tonga’s environment.
Mudslides	No	N/a
Volcanic Eruptions	Yes	There is an active volcano on the island of Niuafo’ou. The last major eruption was in 1946, when the island was completely evacuated.
High Waves / Surges	Yes	Many low-lying areas have a high exposure to inundation. The most severe inundation occurred during Cyclone Isaac in 1982 where a storm surge of about 1.6m acted on top of a high spring tide Tsunami risk in Tonga is rated as “extreme”. Tonga lies about 200km west of the Tonga Trench fault zone, where the Pacific Plate sub ducts beneath the Australian Plate.
Wildfires	Yes	Significant fire events in countryside are related to droughts / dry season
High Winds	Yes	There is an increasing trend in the occurrences of tropical cyclones in Tonga on a decadal basis. . In January 2014, Tropical Cyclone Ian tracked between Fiji and Tonga for several days before intensifying to a Category 5 system with winds over 200 kilometres per hour.
Other Comments
Man-Made Issues
Civil Strife	Yes	The 2006 Nuku’alofa riots started on 16 November, in the Tongan capital to protest against the slow progress democratization in the country. A mixed crowd of democracy advocates took to the streets in protest. Some people in the crowd starting tipping over cars then progressed to looting and burning buildings. The state of emergency was maintained until August 2008 due to continued state of danger in central Nuku’alofa.
International Conflict	No
Internally Displaced Persons	No
Refugees Present	No
Landmines / UXO Present	No
Other Comments

For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:

EMDAT Website information for Tonga

Calamities and Seasonal Affects

Seasonal Effects on Transport
Transport Type	Time Frame	Comments
Primary Road Transport	Nov - Apr	Paved and sealed road are generally OK to go through the wet season. Nevertheless, rains on the main roads could make driving a hazard. During the wet season, floods, flash floods and landslides may happen, resulting in roads or crossroads closures, particularly in coastal areas and low-lying areas of the hilly islands.
Secondary Road Transport	Nov - Apr	The secondary roads network is often not in a perfect condition and may be quickly affected by rainfalls, making it impracticable overnight. During the wet season, floods, flash floods and landslides may happen, resulting in roads or crossroads closures, particularly in coastal areas and low-lying areas of the hilly islands.
Rail Transport	N/A	No Rail Transport available
Air Transport	Nov - Apr	Generally reliable all over the year. Heavy rain falls / cyclones may impact the air transport operations, resulting in delays, flights cancellations and temporary airports/airstrips closures. The secondary airstrips may be impracticable during the wet seasons.
Waterway Transport	Nov - Apr	Inter-island waterways transport may be affected during the wet / cyclonic seasons due to effects of high winds and rough seas.

Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling
Activity Type	Time Frame	Comments
Storage	Nov - Apr	During the wet / cyclonic seasons, days of torrential rain may flood roads, cut power and water supplies, closing accesses to transport and storage infrastructures, impacting handling / packaging operations and making access of manpower problematic.
Handling	Nov-Apr	As above

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

National Disaster Management Policy

The policy adopted by the Tonga Government is as follows:

To recognize the problem associated with disasters as being part of total Government responsibility and to make the best possible arrangements to deal with them given available resources.
To recognize the disaster management phases of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery as essential components for effective national development planning
To encourage traditional self-help concept within the community through education and awareness programmes.

State of Emergency

No disaster legislation has been prepared for Tonga, however the Minister may recommend to the Prime Minister to declare a State of Emergency when he determines that actions for the protection of life and property, and the relief of distress and suffering are necessary. A State of Emergency will be for a stated period of time, but shall not exceed 14 days. It can be extended only with the consent of Cabinet, with the declaration and/or extension to be gazetted at the earliest opportunity.

The Tonga Defence Force (TDF) is available and able to assist in a state of emergency. It has limited resources (3 patrol boats and landing craft) Tonga has an agreement to share "disaster response knowledge" with the United States Nevada National Guard.

There is no Civil Defence organisation as such. The National Emergency Management Committee (NMEC) are responsible for policy relating to disaster response. I case of an emergency response, coordination is the responsibility of the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO). The Minister for MEIDECC chairs both. i.e. Ministry for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communication he is also the Deputy Prime Minister.

Humanitarian Community

Key agencies:

- Tonga Red Cross

- OXFAM

- CARITAS

These three agencies are the key actors in Tonga. They work together with local partners, Government agencies and coordinate with other NGO’s for special or one-off projects (e.g Habitat for Humanity)

For information on Tonga Humanitarian and Government contact details please see the following links:

4.1 Tonga Government Contact List

4.2 Tonga Humanitarian Agency Contact List

For information on Tonga Humanitarian background additional details, please see the following documents

Tonga Disaster Response Plan and Emergency Procedures

Tonga Humanitarian Additional Information

Tonga Disaster Stats

Tonga Disaster Stats 2

Tonga Disaster Stats 3

Tonga Government Structure

Tonga Risk Profile

1.2 Tonga Regulatory Departments & Quality Control

The Tongan Government structure has single desk Ministries and Ministries with multiple portfolios Ministries. In case the portfolios are grouped, each has its own CEO who answers to the Minister.

Ministry Of Finance and National Planning

Considers economic and financial needs of country guided by Tongan Strategic Framework Vision using the National Infrastructure and Investment Plan (NIIP)

Ministry of Meteorology, Information, Disaster Management, Climate Change, Environment, Climate Change and Communications

Overseas disaster management planning and coordination.
The Department of Communications, under this Ministry (MEIDECC), is the party responsible for licensing relating to frequencies, and importation of telecommunications equipment. The Kingdom of Tonga is a party to Tampere Convention via accession. The Tampere Convention provides concessions relating to the importation of telecommunications equipment during disaster times.
In October 2015, the Tongan government passed the new Communications Bill 2015 (Communications Act 2015 and the Communications Commission Act 2015) which gave increased powers to the government in regards to controlling internet access.

Ministry of Revenue and Customs

Responsible for tax revenus collection and customs administration for the Government of Tonga to fund the services to the people of Tonga. The Ministry is also responsible for border security and trade facilitation.
Tonga is involved in the following trade ageements; Pacific Agreements for Closer Economic Relations, South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-0peration Agreement, African, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP)-European Union (EU) Partnership Agreement. Tonga is a member of the following organisations World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Asian Development Bank (ADB), African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), G77, United nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United nations (FAO)

Ministry Of Infrastructure

Amalgamation of the former Ministry of Transport and Works Civil Aviation Division (CAD) responsible for:
- Ensuring industry compliance with aviation legislation
- Ensuring that roads are designed, constructed and maintenance to a recognized standard and specifications that have been approved and adopted by Mol, at all times.

The Marine and Ports Division responsibilities include:

1. Maritime Safety and Security Unit

2. Maritime Environment Unit

3. Outer Island Ports Unit

4. Administration Support Unit

Civil Engineering Division (CED) provides systems of rules regulation, polices and enforcement to guide safe, secure, affordable, sustainable and environmentally sound engineering works on major infrastructure in Tonga.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs

Combines the (MOTEYS) Ministry of Training Employment, Youth and Sports with the District/Town Officer Department. The Ministry of Internal Affairs consolidates the policy and many of the delivery functions related to social and community development including:

- Promotion of women's rights and gender issues; promotion and protection of culture;

- Development of youth and sports;

- Management of seasonal work schemes;

- Development of local government capacity and engagement with Government as well as the management of District Development Committees.

- The Ministry will complement the efforts of other Ministries to promote strong inclusive communities in meeting their service needs and ensuring equitable distribution of development benefits.

For more information on regulatory departments and quality control laboratories’ contact details, please see the following links:

4.1 Tonga Government Contact List

4.3 Laboratory and Quality Testing Company Contact List

1.3 Tonga Customs Information

Duties and Tax Exemption
Emergency Response
Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response)
Exemption Certificate Application Procedure
- Exemption Certificate Document Requirements
Customs Clearance
- General Information
- Customs Clearance Document Requirements
Transit Regime

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below:

4.2.1 Tonga Government Contact List

Emergency Response

For Customs clearance of relief consignments, Customs regulations (Regulation 136, Customs and Excise Management Regulations 2008) allow for simplified and facilitated Customs procedures and declarations in the case of relief consignments.

Furthermore, relief consignments received as gifts by an organization approved by the Minister for use by or under the control of that organization or for distribution free of charge by the organization or under their control shall be admitted free of all duties, excise taxes and charges.

Agreements / Conventions Description	Ratified by Country?	Date of Ratification
Annex J-5 Revised Kyoto Convention	No
OCHA Model Agreement	No
Tampere Convention (on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations)	Yes	2003
WCO (World Customs Organization) member	Yes	1/07/2005

Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response)

Once an official request for international assistance has been submitted, the Director of Customs and Quarantine are to make the necessary arrangements for the on-going clearance of all donor assistance that is provided for “disaster relief purposes”.

This may include duty exemption for goods that are purchased locally with disaster relief funding.

The CCG is responsible for providing information on donor assistance to Customs and Quarantine to facilitate this process. This includes details on type, quantity, source, means of transportation, arrival point and estimated time of arrival. As for normal Customs and Quarantine situations, disaster relief operations should not in themselves cause a breakdown in established security and/or immigration regulations

Organizational Requirements to obtain Duty Free Status
United Nations Agencies
All Charitable organisations must register with the Ministry of Commerce, Labour and Industries as a charitable entity. Registration is voluntary, but if an entity wishes to retain or obtain an exemption from income tax then it will need to register.
Non Governmental Organizations
All Charitable organisations must register with the Ministry of Commerce, Labour and Industries as a charitable entity. Registration is voluntary, but if an entity wishes to retain or obtain an exemption from income tax then it will need to register.

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure

Duties and Taxes Exemption Application Procedure
Generalities (include a list of necessary documentation)
Filing income tax returns: If the agency is assessed as being fully exempt from income tax, no need to file an income tax return unless required. However, the agencies need to keep accurate records for the organisation. Charity - Income Tax Charitable organisations can receive many types of income, including subscriptions, grants, subsidies, donations, fees, raffle money, trading profits, proceeds from selling assets and so on. Charitable organisations are liable for income tax if: they operate with no written rules, constitution or trust deed they operate under a set of rules, a constitution or a trust deed that does not meet the requirements for an income tax exemption they use business income for charitable purposes outside Tonga
Process to be followed
Under regulation 9 of the Consumption Tax Regulations 2005 (CT Regulations), the “Chief Commissioner may authorize the granting of a refund in respect of Consumption Tax paid or borne on a taxable supply to, or taxable import, by – A public international organization, foreign government, or any other person to the extent that organization, government, or person is entitled to exemption from Consumption Tax under an international agreement; or A non-profit organization in respect of a taxable supply to, or taxable import by the organization of goods or services acquired for the purposes of providing charitable activities.” An “international agreement” for purposes of Regulation 9 is an agreement between the Government of the Kingdom Tonga and a foreign government or public international organization for the provision of financial, technical, humanitarian, or administrative assistance to the Government of Tonga. The agreement can constitute an exchange of letters or any formal agreement in writing. A “non-profit organization” is defined in Regulation 9 to mean “an institution, body, or trust of a public character that the Chief Commissioner has certified as conducting activities exclusively for charitable purposes, which includes the relief of poverty, advancement of education or religion beneficial to the community”. The words “charitable activities” are also defined in Regulation 9 to mean “activities consisting of the free distribution of food, meals, board, lodging, clothing, necessities or amenities to any persons in necessitous circumstances, but not including any activities relating to the conduct of a business”. The Chief Commissioner is given a discretionary power under Regulation 9 to authorize any relief “on such conditions and subject to such restrictions as he may consider appropriate”. Any claim for a refund of Consumption Tax under Regulation 9 must be made in a form that has been prescribed (see attachment) and should be accompanied by proof of payment of Consumption Tax, for example a receipt issued by the Customs “one stop shop” or if the purchase is made locally, a proper invoice disclosing the amount of Consumption Tax paid. The application for refund can be made personally at the Revenue Services Department. It is important to note that it is first necessary to establish that there is an agreement between the Kingdom of Tonga and the public international organization, and foreign government providing for certain exemptions from local indirect taxes which would include the Consumption Tax. Having established that, it is necessary in each case to determine if the public international organization, foreign government or person is entitled to relief from Consumption Tax in respect of the particular import or supply. Most international agreements have limited exemptions and apply to a limited category of imports and supplies for a pre-determined purpose. In the case of non-profit organizations it is first necessary for the particular non-profit organization seeking the refund to establish that it has been certified by the Chief Commissioner as a non-profit organization “conducting activities exclusively for charitable purposes”. Secondly, it would be necessary for the non-profit organization to establish that the relevant import or supply is to be used for charitable activities consisting of the free distribution of food, meals, board, lodging, clothing, necessities or amenities to any persons in necessitous circumstances.

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

All document requirements in the below table apply to both UN agencies and NGO’s

NOTE: Although it specifies ‘originals’ of all documents are required, customs will accept copies for clearance of aid commodities provided the originals are supplied at a later date.

Duties and Taxes Exemption Certificate Document Requirements (by commodity)
	Food	NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education)	Medicines	Vehicle & Spare Parts	Staff & Office Supplies	Telecoms Equipment
Invoice	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original
Packing Lists	Packing list / container list, Yes, Original	Packing list / container list, Yes, Original	Packing list / container list, Yes, Original	Packing list / container list, Yes, Original	Packing list / container list, Yes, Original	Packing list / container list, Yes, Original
Other Documents	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Additional Notes
NGOs have different procedures from the UN. NGOs must be registered with Social Welfare Council, Ministry of Finance with notification from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the registration procedure is done with the above mentioned entities, application for registration is made to the Department of Customs. All exemption requests are submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who certifies the documents. If the items requested for exemption are on the Ministry’s approved list then the request is approved and processed. If the items are not on the Ministry’s approved list, the request has to be submitted and approved by the Ministry of Finance. Documents required for the this request are: Bill of Lading Insurance policy (only for commercial goods for risk of loss) Certificate of Origin Invoice Packing List Mode of Payment (grant, donation, non-commercial certificate)

Customs Clearance

General Information

Customs Information
Document Requirements	Invoices, Air Waybills or other Transport Documents, Donation / Non-Commercial Certificate, Packing List
Embargoes	None specified
Prohibited Items	Narcotics Pornography (please consider the term as used under the Islamic law) Alcohol Creams (cosmetics) not registered with the Ministry of Health Counterfeit items Potassium Bromides
General Restrictions	Tonga has regulated against importation of GMO products.

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

Customs Clearance Document Requirements (by commodity)
	Food	NFI (Shelter, WASH, Education)	Medicines	Vehicles & Spare Parts	Staff & Office Supplies	Telecoms Equipment
D&T Exemption Certificate	Yes, Original, 1 copy	Yes, Original, 1 copy	Yes, Original, 1 copy	Yes, Original, 1 copy	Yes, Original, 1 copy	Yes, Original, 1 copy
Invoice	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original	Yes, original
AWB/BL/Other Transport Documents	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto	Bill of lading, Certificate of Origin, Cargo Manifesto
Donation/Non-Commercial Certificates	Yes, Original	Yes, Original	Yes, Original	Yes, Original	Yes, Original	Yes, Original
Packing Lists	Yes, Original Packing list / container list	Yes, Original Packing list / container list	Yes, Original Packing list / container list	Yes, Original Packing list / container list	Yes, Original Packing list / container list	Yes, Original Packing list / container list
Phytosanitary Certificate	Required covering all produce in each shipment	Required covering all produce in each shipment	Required covering all produce in each shipment	Required covering all produce in each shipment	Required covering all produce in each shipment	Required covering all produce in each shipment
Other Documents	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Additional Notes
N/A

Transit Regime

PICs governments are used to assisting each others and will not hesitate facilitating transit or export of relief goods and shipments. Goods intended for transit or transhipment in Tonga must be given prior approval from Customs. An application for transit or transhipment must be made to Customs in the approved form (Form C10 - Customs Transhipment).

Customs may take all necessary steps to ensure that the consignment is easily identified and to enable detection of any unauthorized interference. Such steps may include the setting of specific time limits for the transit or transshipment operation to take place.