Authorities in Australia are planning to launch a new visa program that grants residency to citizens from Tuvalu who have been displaced by climate change.
The new decision permits the relocation to Australia for up to 280 Tuvaluans, each year, giving them the opportunity to reside, work and also pursue education in this country, VisaGuide.World reports.
Besides, financial resources will be allocated for land reclamation in Tuvalu, as part of efforts to increase the size of the capital, Funafuti, by nearly 6 percent.
The announcement was confirmed by the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese at the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands.
The most significant agreement between Australia and a Pacific Island nation ever. The treaty covers three main areas of cooperation; climate change, human mobility and security. Australia commits to provide assistance to Tuvalu in response to a major natural disaster, to a health pandemic or to military aggression.
However, there is a recognition that the response has been insufficiently swift, while the repercussions of climate change are already being felt. According to authorities in Australia, people of Tuvalu deserve the choice to live, study and work elsewhere, as climate change impacts worsen.
According to the Foreign Minister Simon Kofe, the idea is to continue to function as a state and beyond that to preserve the culture, knowledge and history in a digital space.
On Sunday, the minister of foreign affairs of Austria, Penny Wong, reaffirmed Australia’s desire to surge its influence in the Pacific region, telling local media “we recognize we live in a more contested region, and we have to work harder to be a partner of choice.”
Tuvalu has continuously called on for action, after it is one of the most vulnerable territories to increasing sea levels as well as climate change.
Tuvalu’s leaders have intensified efforts to protect this territory from threats posed by climate change. Last year, they introduced a new plan to become the inaugural entity in order to completely digitalize itself on the metaverse.
Australia’s PM said that his country could be open to offering neighbor territories similar agreements.
We’re open to approaches from other countries on how we can enhance our partnerships.
The recent agreement is set to bring significant benefits for both parties, especially for Australia which is competing with China in order to expand its influence in the Pacific region.