PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Penitala Teo elected ninth President of the SIDS DOCK Assembly
Teo’s Presidency ushers in a new chapter for SIDS DOCK’s global engagement and infrastructure goals.
1st October 2025, UN Headquarters, New York: The Honourable Feleti Penitala Teo, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, was elected President of the ninth session of the Small Island Developing States Dock (SIDS DOCK) Assembly on 25th September 2025, succeeding Honourable John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, marking a significant milestone in Tuvalu’s enduring leadership within the global alliance of Small Island Developing States and Coastal Developing Countries. The announcement coincides with the 10th anniversary of SIDS DOCK, a decade defined by resilience, innovation, partnership and unity in the face of climate adversity.
Accepting the role with “deep humility and unwavering resolve,” Prime Minister Teo reflected on Tuvalu’s foundational contributions to SIDS DOCK, including its historic ratification of the Statute in 2014 and its prior presidency in 2016. “Tuvalu may be small, but our spirit is vast like our ocean resources,” Teo declared. “We do not measure our worth in square kilometers, but in courage, conviction, and community.”
The Assembly celebrated a decade of progress under the banner Island Energy for Island Life, highlighting durable partnerships with Belize, Austria, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and other partners; and transformative initiatives such as the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GLOEA), Seabased Wave Power Parks, and Waste-to-Energy and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technologies. These marine renewable energy solutions offer island nations and coastal developing countries a pathway to energy security and economic resilience, turning climate vulnerability into opportunity.
Prime Minister Teo commended the SIDS DOCK Assembly for its visionary leadership while reaffirming Tuvalu’s commitment to advancing project development, institutional capacity and community empowerment. He spotlighted nature-based innovations including the Biorock reef restoration and coastline protection project, as well as strategic partnerships with GRID-Arendal Foundation of Norway, to promote sustainable marine resource management.
Emphasizing inclusive development, Teo celebrated the Island Women Open Network (IWON) and the pioneering Botanical Herbal Project led by Tonga, recognizing women’s leadership as central to island resilience.
Looking ahead, Teo called for bold action: “We must scale up investment in marine renewable energy, deepen our commitment to nature-based solutions, and ensure that climate finance reaches those who need it most. Our islands must not merely survive, they must thrive.”
As the Assembly enters its second decade, Teo’s presidency signals a renewed commitment to unity, innovation, and urgent climate action. “Let us continue to energize a sustainable tomorrow for vulnerable populations, together,” he concluded.
(END)
SIDS DOCK is a United Nations (UN) recognised international organisation established in 2015, with all the rights and privileges for addressing climate change, resilience, and energy security in small islands. SIDS DOCK represents 32 small islands and low-lying developing states across the globe, and is so named because it is designed as a “DOCKing station,” to connect the energy sector in SIDS with the global markets for finance and sustainable energy technologies. The organisation’s work is coordinated by the Secretariat, in Belmopan, Belize.
For more information contact:
Christine Neves Duncan, Chief of Staff, SIDS DOCK Secretariat
Email: secretariat@sidsdock.org; cduncan@sidsdock.org