Feleti Teo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Teo in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14th Prime Minister of Tuvalu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 26 February 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor General | Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Panapasi Nelesoni | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Kausea Natano | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Parliament forNiutao | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 26 January 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Samuelu Teo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Feleti Penitala Teo (1962-10-09)9 October 1962 (age 62) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Independent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Tausaga Teo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Samuelu Teo (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Canterbury Australian National University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Lawyer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Feleti Penitala Teo (born 9 October 1962) is aTuvaluan politician and lawyer who is serving as the 14thprime minister of Tuvalu since 2024. He was elected to theParliament of Tuvalu in the2024 Tuvaluan general election, with his previous role being the executive director of theWestern and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).[2][3]
Teo was appointed asprime minister on 26 February 2024, after he was elected unopposed by the parliament.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
He is the son of SirFiatau Penitala Teo who was appointed as the firstGovernor General of Tuvalu (1978–1986) following independence from the United Kingdom.[10]
He has held a number of senior executive positions in multi-national organisations in the Oceania region. In 2008, he served as the actingSecretary General of thePacific Islands Forum.[11] Teo has also served as the Director General of the Forum Fishery Agency (2000–2006). In December 2014 at the 11th regular session of the WCPFC inApia, Samoa, he was appointed the executive director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), and he continued in that role until December 2022.[12]
Feleti Teo received hisBachelor of Laws degree from theUniversity of Canterbury inChristchurch, New Zealand,[13] and aMaster of Laws degree inPublic Law fromAustralian National University inCanberra, Australia.[13] In 1986, he became the first Tuvaluan to qualify as a lawyer upon being admitted as a barrister and solicitor of theHigh Court of New Zealand.[13][14]
Teo was the first Tuvaluan to serve as theAttorney General of Tuvalu and Head of Legal and Judicial Services of Tuvalu from 1991 to 2000.[13][14] His predecessors were expatriates John Wilson, Neil Davidson, Beith Atkinson and David Ballantyne respectively (1978–1991).[15][16][17][18][19][20] During Teo's tenure,Cameron Dick served as the Acting Attorney General of Tuvalu from 1995 to 1996 while Teo undertook postgraduate studies at the Australian National University in Canberra.[21][22]Iakoba Italeli succeeded Teo as the Attorney General of Tuvalu in 2002.[23]
From 2000 to 2006, he wasDirector General of thePacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), based inHoniara,Solomon Islands. From 2007 to 2013 he served as Deputy Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), headquartered in Fiji.[13] After the illness and subsequent death of Security GeneralGreg Urwin of Australia in 2008, he served as the acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum untilTuiloma Neroni Slade was appointed later that year.[24][25]
In 2014, Teo was appointed interim secretary general for the newly established regional organisation, the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF), which he held until his appointment to the WCPFC. Teo was appointed to head the WCPFC Secretariat as executive director in December 2014.[26]
Teo was appointedOfficer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the2013 Birthday Honours for services to government.[27]
Following his appointment asprime minister,[4][5] on 27 February 2024 Teo appointed the members of theCabinet.[28][29] In March 2024, Teo described his government's top priority wasclimate change.[30] The development challenges Tuvalu faces were described by Teo as including the need to improve medical and educational services to Tuvalu's outer islands.[31]
The Teo government, in a statement published bySimon Kofe on 28 February 2024, gave support for the “broad principles and objectives” of theFalepili Union, while noting “the absence of transparency and consultations in socializing and informing the public in Tuvalu of such an important and groundbreaking initiative”;[32] and indicated that Tuvalu will seek changes to make it "workable".[33] The statement also address Tuvalu'srelations with Taiwan: "The new government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the long-term and lastingspecial relationship between Tuvalu and the Republic of China, Taiwan".[32][34]
In his first interview as prime minister, Teo said “[o]ur ties with Taiwan are purely based on democratic principles and they have been very loyal to us.”[35] Teo said that the part of the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty, he wanted to review was the clause stipulating that both countries must “mutually agree” on any security arrangements Tuvalu may want with other countries.[35] In a later interview Teo said that “[i]f there is a way that stops short of revising the treaty that guarantees the integrity of the sovereignty of Tuvalu, then we will certainly explore those options.”[31] Subsequently, Teo said he wanted arrangements to guarantee Tuvalu's sovereignty that "stop short of revising the treaty."[36]
On 26 March 2024,Pat Conroy, Australia's Pacific minister, tabled the Falepili Union treaty in the Australian Parliament for the propose of obtainingratification of the treaty. Conroy stated “[t]he new government of Tuvalu has confirmed its desire to proceed with the Falepili Union”.[37] The Falepili Union had been an issue in the2024 Tuvaluan general election regarding its impact on the sovereignty of Tuvalu. Conroy confirmed that Australia would work with Tuvalu to ensure its sovereignty was respected. Conroy also stated that “Australia commits to assist Tuvalu in responding to a major natural disaster, a health pandemic, or military aggression. This is predicated on Tuvalu requesting such assistance.”[37]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Tuvalu 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by David Ballantyne | Attorney-General of Tuvalu 1991–2000 | Succeeded by |