Under the Dome of the Institut de France, the Foundation had the honor of welcoming the Honorable Maina Vakafua Talia, Minister of Home Affairs, Climate Change, and Environment of Tuvalu, accompanied by a distinguished delegation: His Excellency Shivshankar Nair, Ambassador of Tuvalu to UNESCO; Andrea Mila, Senior Programme Manager at the Global Centre for Climate Mobility; Cristina Rocha Antunes, President of United by the Sea; as well as Barr Gamble, a British expert on World Heritage issues.
Visiting Paris to formally submit Tuvalu's application for recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the delegation discovered emblematic sites of the Académie des Beaux-Arts and the Institut de France before concluding a historic meeting with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jacques Rougerie Foundation.
A partnership structured around three key pillars
This MoU commits the Foundation and the Government of Tuvalu to long-term cooperation focused on:
- Architectural and cultural collaboration in support of small island states, to develop sustainable and adapted responses to climate challenges.
- Education and youth engagement, as the new generations will be the driving force of resilience and innovation.
- Scientific research and knowledge-sharing, ensuring that expertise benefits the most vulnerable territories.
A shared commitment to the survival of a people
In an in-depth exchange, Jacques Rougerie and Minister Talia discussed ways to safeguard this island nation threatened by rising seas. The Minister strongly expressed his determination for the people of Tuvalu to remain on their ancestral lands, rejecting the idea that exile should become the only option. For him, as for the Foundation, the creativity of youth and architectural innovation fuel hope for solutions capable of averting such a destiny.
A second agreement with United by the Sea
At the close of this meeting, a second convention was signed between the Jacques Rougerie Foundation and Cristina Rocha Antunes, President of United by the Sea. The Foundation warmly thanks Cristina for her steadfast commitment alongside the Foundation and for the exemplary coordination that made this encounter possible.
The Foundation's international mobilization
Faithful to its mission of placing innovation, architecture, and youth at the service of the future of the oceans and the communities that depend on them, the Jacques Rougerie Foundation has resolved to mobilize its entire international network in support of a universal cause: safeguarding Tuvalu and upholding the dignity of its people.
This meeting seals a shared ambition: to unite the forces of science, art, and education in order to transform an existential threat into a collective challenge for all humanity.