Indigenous values in international law and politics : the perpetual state of Tuvalu

Abstract

South Pacific low-lying atoll state Tuvalu has taken innovative steps to secure its continuous statehood against the existential threat of climate change, by combining Indigenous cultural values and knowledge with an innovative interpretation of existing international law. This paper examines Tuvalu’s new foreign policy and the 2023 constitution amendments in the context of the modern state system from the perspective international law and Tuvaluan and Pacific relational cosmologies, analysing how traditional values and principles, as well as the Oceanian worldview, have been introduced into Tuvalu’s foreign affairs and constitutional law to ensure the state’s existence in ‘perpetuity’. By uniquely combining relational cultural values as well as Christian political theology with the modern state, Tuvalu is attempting to guarantee its continuous statehood and sovereign rights, even if the worst-case scenario – a complete inundation of land – becomes a reality.