Feleti Penitala Teo

Prime Minister of Tuvalu · 1962

Who is Feleti Penitala Teo?

Feleti Penitala Teo, born on 9 October 1962, is the son of Sir Fiatau Penitala Teo, Tuvalu's first Governor-General. He built a career in law and regional diplomacy, serving as Tuvalu's Attorney-General from 1991 to 2000 and later as acting Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2008, giving him deep experience in regional Pacific governance before he entered elected politics. In February 2024 he was elected unopposed by Tuvalu's Parliament to become the country's 14th Prime Minister. His early premiership was dominated by the Falepili Union, a landmark climate and security treaty with Australia; Teo voiced concern that some of the treaty's security provisions could be read as ceding aspects of Tuvalu's sovereignty, while also acknowledging the need for international partnership to secure Tuvalu's future against climate change. He has spoken forcefully about the injustice of a crisis Tuvalu did not cause but must nonetheless confront, positioning his government within Tuvalu's long-running international campaign for climate justice and mobility rights for Pacific peoples.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Feleti Teo" · The Diplomat, "Feleti Teo Is Named Tuvalu's New Prime Minister," February 2024 · RNZ, "Falepili Union: Tuvalu is 'on verge of ratifying the treaty' - Feleti Teo"

Quotes by Feleti Penitala Teo

“The grave injustice or irony of the threat of climate change is that climate change is not of our making, but it will certainly remake us.”

A reflection on climate justice made in the context of the Falepili Union treaty negotiations, capturing Tuvalu's position that it bears almost no responsibility for a crisis that could remake or erase its territory.

Feleti Penitala Teo

Source: Feleti Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, public remarks on the Falepili Union climate and security treaty with Australia, 2024