The Australian government has offered the opportunity to live and work in the country to the people of the Tuvalu archipelago, which is at risk of flooding due to climate change. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the agreement, which the media say is the first of its kind, as a breakthrough pact.
Based on it, up to 280 people a year are to receive work visas, the website of the BBC news station reported today.
Tuvalu has a population of 11,200 living on a cluster of low coral islands. According to the estimates of some experts, due to rising ocean levels as a result of climate change, the archipelago threatens to end up under water in the next century.
“This guarantee will provide security to the people of Tuvalu who want to preserve their culture, to preserve their nation in the future,” Prime Minister Albanese told the media today.
He said Canberra had granted Tuvalu’s request and was open to a similar approach to other island nations facing a similar threat. It will provide Tuvalu residents with a special type of visa that allows them to live, work and study permanently in the country.
Prime Minister of Tuvalu Kausea Natano called the pact a “light of hope” and a “giant leap forward” on the way to ensuring the security and stability of his nation. (ČTK)
Tags: Australia offered climate asylum residents Tuvalu risk flooding
