Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani, is a Tuvaluan reverend who has served as

Governor-General of Tuvalu The governor-general of Tuvalu is the vice-regal representative of the Tuvaluan monarch, currently King Charles III, in the country of Tuvalu. The monarch is the head of state of Tuvalu, with the governor-general performing the monarch's duti ...

since 2021 and the President of the

Church of Tuvalu The Congregational Christian Church of Tuvalu ( Tuvaluan: ''Te Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu'', EKT), commonly the Church of Tuvalu, is a Christian Church which is the state church of Tuvalu, although this status merely entitles it to "the privilege ...

since 2008. In his capacity as Church President, he has represented the church at meetings of the World Council of Churches, Central Committee in 2009 and 2011.

Governor-General of Tuvalu

In September 2021, Falani was appointed Governor-General by then Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. As Governor-General, Falani represents the reigning Monarch of Tuvalu (at present

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

) in the country, therefore effectively acting as Tuvalu's head of state. Falani previously served as Acting Governor-General on 14 August 2017 during the absence of the Governor-General, Iakoba Taeia Italeli, at the time.

Honours

He was appointed as a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) for public and community service in the

2014 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

. On 18 September 2022, Falani was appointed by Charles III, King of Tuvalu, as a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG).

References

Governors-General of Tuvalu Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire Tuvaluan people Tuvaluan religious leaders Year of birth missing (living people) {{Tuvalu-politician-stub