Saufatu Sopoanga was a Tuvaluan politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Tuvalu from 2 August 2002 to 27 August 2004.
15 Facts About Saufatu Sopoanga
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Saufatu Sopoanga drew international attention for his speeches warning about the effects of the rising sea level on Tuvalu and other low-lying island countries.
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Saufatu Sopoanga later served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2004 to 2006.
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Saufatu Sopoanga received a diploma in development administration from South Devon Technical College, Torquay in 1978 and a postgraduate diploma from the University of Manchester in 1992.
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Saufatu Sopoanga began working in the civil service of the Ellice Islands in 1973, and was a permanent secretary for different ministries between 1975 and 1995.
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Saufatu Sopoanga was elected as a member of the Parliament of Tuvalu for the constituency of Nukufetau, in a special election in November 2000, and they attended their first parliamentary session on 7 December 2000.
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Saufatu Sopoanga was elected Prime Minister of Tuvalu by the Parliament of Tuvalu on 2 August 2002 after the general election.
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Saufatu Sopoanga attended a United Nations Sustainable Development summit in Johannesburg in September 2002, where he warned that Tuvalu would be completely submerged in 50 years due to global warming-related increases in sea level.
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On 24 September 2003, Saufatu Sopoanga delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly which outlined issues facing Tuvalu on its 25th anniversary of independence, such as economic underdevelopment.
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Saufatu Sopoanga called climate change "a slow and insidious form of terrorism" against Tuvalu.
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The 2004 Nukufetau by-election was held on 7 October, and Saufatu Sopoanga regained his seat.
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At the 2006 Tuvaluan general election, Saufatu Sopoanga lost his seat in Parliament.
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Saufatu Sopoanga was the Secretary-General of the Tuvalu Red Cross.
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Saufatu Sopoanga had several brothers; his younger brother Enele was Prime Minister from 2013 to 2019.
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Saufatu Sopoanga received a state funeral on 22 December 2020.