Nauru has officially changed its
name to ‘Naoero’, the Micronesian Island nation’s
governments announced in a statement on Wednesday
night.
The Nauruan parliament had passed a
constitutional amendment in May to rename the country
‘Naoero’ after the proposal was initially tabled by
President David Adeang in January.
Adeang said at the
time that while the name ‘Nauru’ had been recognised
internationally since the island’s independence, the
proposed change sought to “more faithfully honour our
nation’s heritage, our language, and our
identity”.
However, a national referendum was expected
to follow to complete the constitutional
procedures.
Nauru is the world’s smallest independent
republic, with a population of approximately 12,000 and a
land area of 21 square kilometres.
The government said
in May that the name change would be reflected across
national official records and symbols, and official identity
regionally and internationally, including at the United
Nations.
“The Republic of Naoero is the new official
designation for what was previously known as Nauru. The
abbreviated form will be Naoero, with the code updated to
NRO, and the people will be referred to as dei-Naoero,” the
government statement said.
It added that Adeang
delivered his opening message to parliament on 20 July and
addressed the decision to return the country to its
traditional name, Naoero, “following extensive
discussions”.
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“The decision not to pursue a referendum
was reached after thoughtful deliberation that Naoero is not
a new name seeking acceptance by the people.
“It is
already the identity of the people, is on the national coat
of arms, and spoken in the community; and importantly is
allowed by the Constitution.
“While a referendum is
intended to determine the will of the people, the name
Naoero has never been lost, but rather waiting to be fully
embraced.”
According to the Nauru government, a
Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, proposing to rename
Nauru to Naoero was tabled pon 29 January. It was followed
by a layover period of 90 days and the unanimous vote by the
members of parliament in favour of the change.
Speaker
Marcus Stephen then certified the amendment on 13 May to
enact the name change.
“International organisations
and countries have formally been notified of the change and
have begun making the transition,” the government statement
said.
“Naoero is the beginning of renewed national
pride, and a new chapter founded on unity, responsibility,
patriotism, better health, education, and sustainable
development.
“The future of Naoero will be built by
learning from the mistakes of the past and using their
experience to make wiser decisions for the generations to
come.”
The United Nations said Nauru had informed it
about changing its name to Republic of Naoero on 26
June.
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