Latest news in Kiribati? September 25th, 2026

The primary news in Kiribati centers on a national debate regarding whether the country should reclaim its ancestral name, Tungaru.

Pacific Media Network

Following neighboring Naoero’s (formerly Nauru) announcement at the United Nations General Assembly that it had restored its ancestral name, prominent voicesincluding researcher Dr. Amota Atanekacalled on Kiribati’s parliament to consider reverting to Tungaru. The Kiribati government pushed back against the proposal, emphasizing that while “Tungaru” historically refers primarily to the Gilbert Islands group, the name “Kiribati” was deliberately chosen at independence in 1979 as an inclusive sovereign umbrella unifying the Gilberts, the Phoenix Islands, the Line Islands, and Banaba. Government officials also highlighted the extensive legal, diplomatic, and administrative complications a renaming would cause for existing treaties, passports, and maritime boundaries, advising that broader questions of national identity are best raised through the nationwide Constitutional Review consultations currently underway across the outer islands.

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Alongside the naming debate, other ongoing priorities dominating local and regional discussions include:

• Constitutional Consultations: Public discussions continue over proposed constitutional amendments and governance reforms regarding national institutions and foreign policy alignments.

  ConstitutionNet

• Climate Resilience and Outer Islands: Ongoing deployment of the Kiribati Outer Island Resilience and Adaptation Project (KOIRAP), focusing on fresh water security, coastal reinforcement, and drought mitigation amidst accelerating sea-level rise.

  SPREP