More Than 80% Of Tuvalu Seeks Australian Climate Visa
Australia is offering visas to Tuvalu citizens each year under a climate migration deal Canberra has billed as "the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world".
"We received extremely high levels of interest in the ballot with 8,750 registrations, which includes family members of primary registrants," the Australian high commission in Tuvalu said in a statement.
The figure is equal to 82 percent of the country's 10,643 population, according to census figures collected in 2022.
"With 280 visas offered this program year, it means that many will miss out," the commission said.
One of the most climate-threatened corners of the planet, scientists fear Tuvalu will be uninhabitable within the next 80 years.
Two of the archipelago's nine coral atolls have already largely disappeared under the waves.
The figures were released hours before a landmark decision by the world's top court in The Hague laying out what legal obligations countries have to prevent climate change and whether polluters should pay up for the consequences.
The case, which has been brought by Pacific nations, could reshape climate justice, with major impacts on laws around the world.
Australia and Tuvalu signed the groundbreaking Falepili Union in 2024, part of Canberra's efforts to blunt China's expanding reach in the region.
Under that pact, Australia opened a new visa category specially set aside for citizens of Tuvalu who will be selected at random.
"Australia recognises the devastating impact climate change is having on the livelihoods, security, and wellbeing of climate vulnerable countries and people, particularly in the Pacific region," Australia's foreign affairs department told AFP last month.
"This is the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world, providing a pathway for mobility with dignity as climate impacts worsen."
It will also provide Tuvaluans the choice to live, study and work in Australia.
Tuvalu citizens, including those living outside the country, were eligible to be included in the ballot if they are aged over 18 and pay a Aus$25 fee (US$16).
The visa deal has been hailed as a landmark response to the looming challenge of climate-forced migration.
The Falepili pact commits Australia to defending Tuvalu in the face of natural disasters, health pandemics and "military aggression".
"For the first time, there is a country that has committed legally to come to the aid of Tuvalu, upon request, when Tuvalu encounters a major natural disaster, a health pandemic or military aggression," Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said at the time.
"Again, for the first time there is a country that has committed legally to recognise the future statehood and sovereignty of Tuvalu despite the detrimental impact of climate changed-induced sea level rise."
The agreement also gives Australia a say in any other defence pacts Tuvalu signs with other countries, raising concerns at the time that the Pacific nation was handing over its sovereignty.
Tuvalu is one of just 12 states that still have formal diplomatic relations with Taipei rather than Beijing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
14 minutes ago
- Int'l Business Times
Sudan Says Army Destroys Emirati Aircraft, Killing 40 Mercenaries
Sudan's air force has destroyed an Emirati aircraft carrying Colombian mercenaries as it landed at a paramilitary-controlled airport in Darfur, killing at least 40 people, the army-aligned state TV said Wednesday. A military source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the UAE plane "was bombed and completely destroyed" at Darfur's Nyala airport, which has recently come under repeated air strikes by the Sudanese army, at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. There was no immediate comment from the RSF or from the United Arab Emirates. State TV said the aircraft had taken off from an airbase in the Gulf, carrying dozens of foreign fighters and military equipment intended for the RSF, which controls nearly all of Darfur. The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has long accused the UAE of supplying advanced weaponry, including drones, to the RSF via Nyala airport. Abu Dhabi has denied the accusations, despite numerous reports from UN experts, US political officials and international organisations. Satellite images released by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab have shown multiple Chinese-made long-range drones at the airport of the South Darfur state capital. In June, three witnesses told AFP that a cargo plane was bombed shortly after landing at Nyala airport. On Monday, Sudan's army-aligned government accused the UAE of recruiting and funding Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF, claiming it has documents proving that. Reports of Colombian fighters in Darfur date back to late 2024 and have been confirmed by UN experts. This week, the Joint Forces -- a pro-army coalition in the vast western region of Darfur -- reported over 80 Colombian mercenaries fighting on the RSF's side in El-Fasher, the last Darfur state capital still under army control. Several were reportedly killed in drone and artillery operations during the RSF's latest offensive, the coalition said. The army also released video footage it said was of "foreign mercenaries believed to be from Colombia". AFP was not able to verify the videos. In December, Sudan said Colombia's foreign ministry had expressed regret "for the participation of some of its citizens in the war". Colombian mercenaries, many former soldiers and guerrillas, have appeared in other global conflicts and were previously hired by the UAE for operations in Yemen and the Gulf. Sudan's war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands, displaced 13 million and plunged the nation into the world's worst hunger and displacement crisis.
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Brazil Seeks WTO Relief Against Trump Tariffs
Brazil on Wednesday approached the World Trade Organization (WTO) for relief against a hefty trade tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on more than a third of US-bound exports from the Latin American powerhouse. The 50-percent tariff on several Brazilian goods went into force Wednesday over what Trump has termed a "witch hunt" against his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, the former president on trial for plotting a coup. Sources in the government of incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told AFP Brasilia had filed a request for consultations with the US mission to the WTO -- the first formal step in the trade body's dispute settlement process. Trump's latest tariff salvo raised duties on Brazil from 10 percent to 50 percent for key exports including coffee, beef and sugar. Exempt were nearly 700 other exports including civilian planes, orange juice and pulp, Brazil nuts, and some iron, steel and aluminum products. Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin previously told journalists the new tariff would apply to about 36 percent of the country's exports to the United States, equal to trade of about $14.5 billion last year. Trump's Brazil tariff is among the highest imposed on US trading partners and was framed in openly political terms, sweeping aside centuries-old trade ties and a surplus Brasilia put at $284 million last year. In an executive order last week, the Trump administration lashed out at Brazilian officials for "unjustified criminal charges" against Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly plotting to wrest back power after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula. Trump's order also charged that the Lula government's recent policies and actions threatened the US economy, national security, and foreign policy. US tensions with Brazil are not likely to dissipate soon, with a Brazilian judge on Monday placing Bolsonaro under house arrest pending the outcome of his trial for contravening a social media ban. The judge, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, presides over Bolsonaro's trial and was himself hit with financial sanctions this week as Washington claimed he had "taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt." Moraes has clashed repeatedly with the far-right in Brazil, and with tech titan Elon Musk over the spread of online misinformation. Bolsonaro risks decades in prison if found guilty on the coup charges that had allegedly also included discussions to assassinate Lula and other senior officials. The tariff hike on Brazilian goods came a day before a separate wave of higher duties on dozens of economies ranging from the European Union to Taiwan. Analysts at Pantheon Macroeconomics estimate the pending increases would boost the average effective tariff rate for US imports to nearly 20 percent. This marks the highest level since at least the 1930s, according to the Budget Lab at Yale University.
Int'l Business Times
4 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Swiss President Hopes Washington Talks Avert Surprise Tariff
Switzerland's president held last-gasp talks with the US secretary of state on Wednesday after she rushed to Washington to avert a surprise steep hike in tariffs -- but her chances of meeting Donald Trump were unclear. The Alpine country faces a 39-percent duty on many of its exports to the United States come Thursday, one of the highest levels among dozens of economies due to be hit by President Trump's upcoming tranche of tariffs. President Karin Keller-Sutter said she and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- who does not oversee tariff policy -- had "discussed bilateral cooperation between Switzerland and the US, and the tariff situation, and international issues." Keller-Sutter and Economy Minister Guy Parmelin hurried to Washington "to facilitate meetings with the US authorities at short notice," the Swiss government said in a statement. The White House told AFP that there was, for now, no meeting planned with Trump -- who threatened in April to slap a 31-percent tariff on Swiss goods. Trump blindsided the country last week when Washington released an updated list of tariff levels for dozens of US trading partners, due to take effect Thursday, showing the Swiss duty would be raised to 39 percent. This is significantly higher than the 15-percent level faced by economies like the European Union, Japan and South Korea. On Tuesday, Trump told CNBC in an interview that he "did something with Switzerland the other day" and spoke to Keller-Sutter. "The woman was nice, but she didn't want to listen," he added. After an emergency meeting on Monday, the Swiss government said it was "keen to pursue talks with the United States" and Keller-Sutter quickly headed to Washington. It remains unclear if the Swiss delegation, which includes business leaders, will meet with US economic officials during the trip. The Swiss embassy said no press conference was planned, adding the president's visit "demonstrates Switzerland's clear commitment to reaching a positive, forward-looking agreement." The wave of US tariffs taking effect Thursday does not cover sectors that are being separately targeted by US investigations such as pharmaceuticals, a key sector for Switzerland. But Trump signaled that fresh duties on pharmaceutical imports could be announced within the week, starting at a low level before potentially surging as high as 250 percent.
