Governments
Bilateral cooperation
Coastal protection, raised land, water security, health and education. Tuvalu welcomes governments whose support follows its national strategy and is delivered through its own systems.
Partner with Tuvalu
Working with Tuvalu
Tuvalu works with governments, institutions, foundations and companies that support its own priorities. Here is what those priorities are, who already works with us, and how to start.
Who we work with
Governments, institutions, companies and foundations
Tuvalu is small, but its needs and opportunities are not. Partnerships that work here share one thing: they start from what Tuvaluans have decided they need.
Research institutions
Science and knowledge
Ocean and sea-level science, climate modelling, mapping and the digital records behind Tuvalu’s statehood, in ways that build Tuvaluan expertise rather than replace it.
Private sector
Investment and trade
Sustainable fisheries across Tuvalu’s 750,000 square kilometres of ocean, renewable energy, connectivity and the digital economy, including the .tv domain.
Foundations and civil society
Communities and culture
Programmes on the outer islands, education and youth, and the recording of Tuvaluan language, songs and traditional knowledge with the communities that hold them.
Technology and pilots
New technology that works on an atoll
Tuvalu is looking for partners to pilot and scale technologies that make life on low-lying islands safer, healthier and more sustainable. These are the areas where proposals are most welcome, with the facts behind each one: freshwater production, waste and resource recovery, clean energy, sanitation and a clean lagoon, food security, ocean monitoring and sustainable fisheries, connectivity and digital services.
Freshwater production
Tuvalu has no rivers or lakes. On Funafuti, the only natural sources of water are rainwater and a thin, limited layer of groundwater, so households depend on roof catchment and tanks. When the rain fails, the country runs short: in the 2011 drought a state of emergency was declared and water was rationed. Desalination has carried Funafuti through dry spells, but it is expensive to run and is not a sustainable main source of water.
Already under way
In November 2024 the Asian Development Bank, the Global Environment Facility, New Zealand and the Government of Tuvalu agreed to provide US$16.53 million for the Funafuti Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which will build the country’s first piped water network, giving more than half the population better access to desalinated water.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Desalination powered by solar or other renewable energy, sized for an atoll and simple to maintain locally
- Atmospheric water generation and other off-grid sources for the outer islands
- Better rainwater harvesting: guttering, first-flush systems, tank monitoring and water-quality testing
- Smart metering and leak detection for the new Funafuti network
- Drought early warning that links rainfall forecasts to household tank levels
Sources: ADB and Tuvalu sign grant agreements to improve water and sanitation services in Funafuti, ADB, 19 November 2024; Bringing clean water on tap to rural villages in Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu, Inter Press Service, 18 November 2020
Waste and resource recovery
Every island in Tuvalu has a dumpsite, and none has engineered controls such as leachate management or daily cover. The main landfill on Funafuti is nearing capacity, on an island where there is no spare land. About 730 tonnes of waste are disposed of each year. Plastics are the largest share of municipal waste at about 34%, followed by paper and cardboard at about 27% and metals at about 20%. Apart from organics, most recovered material is stockpiled rather than processed or exported, and the stockpiles include asbestos, e-waste, used oil and tyres.
Already under way
Tuvalu banned a range of single-use plastics from August 2019 and charges a waste levy on imported cans, PET and glass bottles and car batteries. A container deposit scheme for bottles and cans has begun, green waste is shredded for compost, and e-waste is being separated for export to regional recycling hubs under the PacWastePlus programme.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Small-scale plastic recycling or processing that can run on an atoll, such as compaction, shredding or turning plastic into building products
- Waste-to-energy and gasification options assessed for Tuvalu’s waste volumes
- Composting and biodigesters for organic waste from households, schools and markets
- Safe removal and export of hazardous stockpiles: asbestos, e-waste, used oil and tyres
- Landfill rehabilitation and design that protects groundwater and the lagoon
- Reverse logistics: using empty space on returning cargo ships to take recyclables off-island
Sources: Tuvalu Waste Data Profile, SPREP PacWastePlus, June 2025; New waste measures in Tuvalu to ease pressure on dump, RNZ, 30 July 2019
Clean energy
Electricity reaches nearly every household, but diesel still dominates the power system. The Asian Development Bank puts renewable energy at only about 16% of Tuvalu’s electricity, leaving the country exposed to high fuel prices, supply disruption and the cost of shipping fuel to the outer islands. Tuvalu’s national energy policy set a goal of 100% renewable electricity.
Already under way
The ADB-supported Increasing Access to Renewable Energy Project is adding rooftop solar, battery storage and a megawatt-scale floating solar pilot on the Funafuti lagoon, described by ADB as the first marine floating solar installation in the Pacific. On the outer islands it aims to raise renewables above 90% of electricity supply. The project runs to 2028.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Battery storage, microgrid controls and grid stabilisation for a high-solar system
- Floating and marine solar that can survive storms and salt
- Solar-powered cold storage for fish and food on the outer islands
- Clean cooking and household energy efficiency
- Training and maintenance partnerships so Tuvaluan technicians can run the systems
Sources: Floating solar for a rising ocean, ADB Partnership Report 2025
Sanitation and a clean lagoon
Septic tanks and pit toilets sit in porous coral ground on Funafuti, close to the water table. Studies have found the groundwater and the nearby lagoon heavily polluted by sewage, which feeds algal blooms and harms the reef and the fish that families rely on.
Already under way
A Global Environment Facility project from 2012 introduced composting toilets, which use far less water and are now widely seen in Tuvalu as a preferred sanitation option. The Funafuti Water Supply and Sanitation Project will add Tuvalu’s first sewage treatment plant, upgrade sanitation in schools and health centres, and reuse treated biosolids in agriculture.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Waterless and low-water toilets designed for atolls
- Small-scale wastewater treatment that does not depend on large infrastructure
- Lagoon and groundwater monitoring, including low-cost sensors
- Turning treated waste into compost and soil for home gardens
Sources: Integrated Sustainable Wastewater Management (Ecosan) for Tuvalu, Global Environment Facility, 2012; ADB and Tuvalu sign grant agreements to improve water and sanitation services in Funafuti, ADB, 19 November 2024
Food security
Coral soil is thin and poor, and salt water is reaching the pits where pulaka, the giant swamp taro, has been grown for generations. With rainfall less reliable, families depend more on imported food, which is expensive and often less healthy.
Already under way
Tuvalu and its partners are testing new ways to grow food: on Nui, a UNDP and IOM initiative uses raised “food cubes” that need less water and no native soil, and community gardens run with the National Council of Women have introduced new crops.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Salt-tolerant crop varieties and ways to protect pulaka pits
- Hydroponics, aquaponics and raised-bed systems suited to small island conditions
- Compost and soil improvement from local organic waste
- Sustainable aquaculture and fish processing for local markets
Sources: Ensuring a climate-secure future in Tuvalu: food cubes initiative on Nui Island, UNDP Pacific
Ocean monitoring and sustainable fisheries
Tuvalu’s ocean territory is about 750,000 square kilometres, nearly 30,000 times its land area. Fishing licences are one of the government’s main sources of income, but patrolling that much ocean is hard for a small country, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing takes fish and revenue that belong to Tuvaluans.
Already under way
Tuvalu patrols its waters with the Guardian-class patrol boat HMTSS Te Mataili III, provided by Australia, and works with regional partners and shiprider agreements to board and inspect vessels.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Satellite and radar monitoring of vessels in Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone
- Long-range drones and other surveillance suited to a small country
- Electronic monitoring and catch reporting on licensed vessels
- Detection and removal of abandoned vessels and fishing gear
- Reef and fish stock monitoring with Tuvaluan scientists
Connectivity and digital services
For most of its history Tuvalu relied on satellite links that were slow and expensive. Reliable connectivity is now the basis for everything from telehealth and online learning to Tuvalu’s plans to preserve its records, culture and statehood digitally.
Already under way
Tuvalu activated its first submarine internet cable, the Tuvalu Vaka Cable, on 24 October 2025, funded by Australia, the United States, Taiwan, New Zealand and Japan, with Google including Tuvalu in its Central Pacific Connect system. A Starlink community gateway provides backup capacity.
Where we welcome partners and pilots
- Telehealth and remote education services for the outer islands
- Cybersecurity support and training as more of life moves online
- Digital government services, records and identity
- Digital preservation of Tuvaluan language, culture and heritage, as part of the digital nation
Sources: The Tuvalu Vaka Cable: building connectivity and a Digital Nation, Devpolicy Blog, 4 December 2025
How a pilot works
What makes a good pilot in Tuvalu
Tuvalu has seen well-meant equipment fail because it could not be repaired, powered or paid for once a project ended. Proposals that answer these points have the best chance of success.
Start small
A pilot usually begins on Funafuti or one outer island, at a scale Tuvalu can judge before committing further.
Fit the islands
Equipment has to survive salt air, storms and long shipping times, and run on what is available locally: limited land, power and spare parts.
Train Tuvaluans
Every pilot should leave behind people who can operate, repair and improve the technology without outside help.
Share the results
Data and findings from a pilot belong to Tuvalu as well as to the partner, so that the government can make good decisions about scaling up.
Plan beyond the pilot
Proposals should explain who maintains the system after the trial and how it could be paid for if it works.
Tuvalu’s priorities
Te Kete, the national strategy for 2021–2030
Te Kete is Tuvalu’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Built from a national summit in 2020, it sets out 20 national outcomes for 2030 under five priority areas, with climate change and disaster resilience treated as national priorities throughout. Government departments align their annual plans and budgets with it, and so should partners.
Enabling environment
Good governance, sound public finances and the institutions that make every other investment work.
Social development
Health, education, and the wellbeing of families and young people.
Economic development
Fisheries, trade, the digital economy and jobs for Tuvaluans at home.
Island and culture development
Strong communities on every island and the protection of Tuvaluan culture.
Infrastructure development
Climate-resilient land, buildings, energy, water, ports and transport.
Climate policy
Tuvalu’s National Climate Change Policy 2021–2030, Te Vaka Fenua o Tuvalu, carries these priorities into adaptation, resilience and climate diplomacy.
Long-term adaptation
Safe, high ground for generations
Tuvalu’s Long-Term Adaptation Plan, first announced with UNDP at COP27 in 2022, sets out to reclaim about 3.6 square kilometres of land from the Funafuti lagoon, raised high enough to stay above projected sea levels. In 2023 the IMF estimated the cost at about A$2 billion, far beyond what Tuvalu can fund alone.
The first steps are already built. The Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project raised about 7 hectares in its first phase and 8 more in a second phase completed in 2025. According to the project manager quoted by Reuters in October 2026, the reclamation programme will soon have added about 21 hectares to Funafuti’s main island.
Read more: Is Tuvalu sinking?
Current partners
Who already works with Tuvalu
A selection of the partners behind the projects described on this site. Tuvalu also works with many other governments, regional bodies and UN agencies.
Green Climate Fund
Main funder of the first phase of the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project.
UNDP
Delivery partner for both phases of the coastal adaptation project.
Australia
Co-funder of the second adaptation phase and Tuvalu’s partner in the Falepili Union.
New Zealand
Co-funder of the second phase of the coastal adaptation project.
United States
Co-funder of the second phase of the coastal adaptation project.
The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
Founding partners of the Tuvalu Trust Fund in 1987.
How to start
From first message to a working partnership
Get in touch
Write to the office with a short description of who you are and what you propose. A page or two is enough to begin.
Find the fit
We will look at how your proposal connects to Te Kete and the climate policy, and which ministry or agency should lead on the Tuvaluan side.
Meet the right people
The office introduces you to the relevant officials in Funafuti and, where useful, to Tuvalu’s partners in the region.
Build it together
Good partnerships are designed with the people who will run them, delivered through Tuvaluan systems wherever possible, and planned to last beyond a single funding cycle.
Quick answers
Questions people ask
How do I propose a partnership with Tuvalu?
Write to the office through the contact page and choose “Partnership or investment”. Tell us who you are, what you propose, and how it connects to Tuvalu’s priorities. The office will route your proposal to the right ministry.
What are Tuvalu’s development priorities?
They are set out in Te Kete, Tuvalu’s National Strategy for Sustainable Development 2021–2030, which has five priority areas: an enabling environment, social development, economic development, island and culture development, and infrastructure. Climate change and disaster resilience run through all of them.
What is Tuvalu’s Long-Term Adaptation Plan?
A plan, first announced with UNDP at COP27 in 2022, to reclaim about 3.6 square kilometres of land from the Funafuti lagoon, raised above projected sea levels, so that Tuvaluans have safe ground to live on for generations. In 2023 the IMF estimated its cost at about A$2 billion.
Who owns the .tv domain?
The .tv domain is Tuvalu’s country-code domain and belongs to Tuvalu. It is operated on Tuvalu’s behalf by a registry company, currently GoDaddy under a contract signed in 2021, and its fees are an important source of government income.
Why is .tv popular?
Because “tv” is also short for television, the domain is popular with broadcasters, streaming platforms and video creators around the world. Every .tv address registered contributes to Tuvalu’s national income.
How can governments and organisations support Tuvalu internationally?
Beyond funding, by backing Tuvalu’s positions: deep emission cuts, accessible climate finance, recognition of permanent statehood and maritime boundaries, rights-based climate mobility, and a stronger place for the ocean in climate negotiations.
Next step
Talk to us about a partnership
Tell us who you are and what you have in mind. The office will route your enquiry to the right part of the Government of Tuvalu.
Contact the office