The Speaker of the Tuvalu Parliament, Samuelu Pelitala Teo, was elected MP of the Year for his work to combat climate change during the Thursday’s session of the 147th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) taking place in Luanda, Angola.
Samuelu Pelitala Teo, who has stood out throughout his parliamentary career, which began in 1998, for his defense against climate change, having travelled around the world to promote climate action.
He was elected Speaker of the Tuvalu Parliament in 2019.
The politician said he was delighted to receive the award and to have his work on climate action recognized, adding that he hopes that we can all beat climate change and that if the world is saved the planet and all countries are saved.
The initiative to recognize the MP of the Year at the level the IPU came about during the mandate of the Portuguese Duarte Pacheco.
Tuvalu is a Polynesian state located in southern Oceania made up of a group of nine islands, atolls, and reef islands, formerly known as the Ellice Islands. It shares maritime borders with Kiribati to the north and north-east; with the New Zealand territory of Toquelau to the east; with Samoa to the south-east; with the French territory of Wallis and Futuna to the south; and with Fiji, to the south.
It is strategically located in southern Oceania. Its closest neighbor to the west is the Solomon Islands, the distance between the two island groups is considerable (around 900 kilometers).
Tuvalu is only 5 meters above sea level, making it the second lowest country in the world and extremely vulnerable to climate change.
Source: Angop