Feleti Teo
Encyclopedia
Feleti Penitala Teo also spelled Feleti Te'o, is a Tuvalu
an former Secretary General
of the Pacific Islands Forum
.
degree from the University of Canterbury
in Christchurch
, New Zealand. He obtained his Master of Laws
degree in Public Law
from Australian National University
in Canberra, Australia.
of Tuvalu
, with the official title of Attorney General and Head of the Legal and Judicial Services of Tuvalu. Before becoming Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Teo served as the Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
(FFA), which is based in Honiara
, Solomon Islands
.
on 2 May 2008, following the resignation of Australia
n Greg Urwin
due to illness. Teo had served as Urwin's deputy Secretary General. He officially began work at the Secretariat on 22 May 2008.
Teo was nominated for a full three year term as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2008 by the government of Tuvalu. The other two nominees for Secretary General were Wilkie Rasmussen
, the Foreign Minister
of the Cook Islands
and Tuiloma Neroni Slade
, the former Attorney General of Samoa
and former justice of the International Criminal Court
. Ultimately, Slade was chosen as the next Secretary General at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Niue
.
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
an former Secretary General
Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is the Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat . The Secretariat is based in Suva, Fiji....
of the Pacific Islands Forum
Pacific Islands Forum
The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...
.
Education
Feleti Teo received his Bachelor of LawsBachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree from the University of Canterbury
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand. He obtained his Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
degree in Public Law
Public law
Public law is a theory of law governing the relationship between individuals and the state. Under this theory, constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law are sub-divisions of public law...
from Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in Canberra, Australia.
Career
Teo served as the Attorney GeneralAttorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
, with the official title of Attorney General and Head of the Legal and Judicial Services of Tuvalu. Before becoming Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Teo served as the Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency
Pacific Islands Forum
The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...
(FFA), which is based in Honiara
Honiara
Honiara, population 49,107 , 78,190 , is the capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered town...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
Teo was appointed acting Secretary General of the Pacific Islands ForumSecretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum
The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat is the Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat . The Secretariat is based in Suva, Fiji....
on 2 May 2008, following the resignation of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Greg Urwin
Greg Urwin
Gregory Lawrence Urwin PSM CSI was an Australian career diplomat and top Pacific specialist. Urwin held the post of Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, an important inter-governmental regional organisation from 2004 until 2 May 2008. Urwin had been the longest serving Australian...
due to illness. Teo had served as Urwin's deputy Secretary General. He officially began work at the Secretariat on 22 May 2008.
Teo was nominated for a full three year term as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2008 by the government of Tuvalu. The other two nominees for Secretary General were Wilkie Rasmussen
Wilkie Rasmussen
Wilkie Olaf Patua Rasmussen is a Cook Islands politician and former Cabinet Minister. He is deputy leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party, and represents the constituency of Penrhyn....
, the Foreign Minister
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
and Tuiloma Neroni Slade
Tuiloma Neroni Slade
Tuiloma Neroni Slade is the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. He was elected to the position for three years on 20 August 2008. Slade was reappointed to a second term by the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum on 8 September 2011.-Biography:Tuiloma Neroni Slade was born...
, the former Attorney General of Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
and former justice of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
. Ultimately, Slade was chosen as the next Secretary General at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Niue
Niue
Niue , is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and inhabitants of the island call it "the Rock" for short. Niue is northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga to the southwest, the Samoas to the northwest, and the Cook Islands to...
.