TUVALU Prime Minister Feleti Teo has been honoured with the Rising Nations Leaders Award for his leadership on climate change and the global challenge of sea-level rise.
Teo received the award on behalf of Tuvalu at the Rising Gala Dinner on September 21.
“We are not doing these because we have given up. We are doing them because we refuse to be erased,” Teo said.
He highlighted Tuvalu’s constitutional affirmation securing the permanence of its maritime zones and the continuity of its statehood, alongside regional initiatives including the Falepili Union with Australia and the Rising Nations partnership with Kiribati and the Marshall Islands.
Tuvalu will host the Leaders Segment of Pre-COP31 on October 5 and 6, where leaders will see firsthand the impacts of sea-level rise on the island nation.
“The sea is rising, so is our resolve. We will not be erased. We will endure,” Teo said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also received an award in recognition of his leadership on ocean issues.
The Rising Gala brought together global leaders and their partners to focus on climate mobility, sea-level rise, statehood continuity, culture and the protection of communities on the front lines of climate change.
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