Posted on 30 November 2023
Questions regarding the recent Falepili Union were raised during Tuvalu's final Parliamentary session held last week, before parliament dissolved on November 27.
The Falepili Union treaty, announced by Australian and Tuvaluan Prime Ministers at the PIF Leaders Meeting earlier this month, offered Australian residency to Tuvaluans forced to relocate due to climate change. However, members of the session expressed concern for the lack of clarity on the version and content of the treaty, and that fact it had not been approved by cabinet or consulted with the Tuvaluan people.
Jess Marinaccio writes on Dev Policy Blog that the "debate made one point very clear: the version of the Union agreement published on the website of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is contested within Tuvalu and will likely not be the final."