Chitra Talatoka Jeremiah (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Menke; born 15 June 1971) is a Nauruan diplomat. As of 2024, she is the ambassador of Nauru to the People's Republic of China.

Early life and education

Jeremiah, birth name Chitra Talatoka Lusiana Obeira Menke, was born on 15 June 1971, registered to the

Denigomodu District Denigomodu is a district in the western part of the island of Nauru. It is the most populous district in Nauru. It houses the expatriate housing compound "The Location". This makes it Nauru's largest settlement by population. , 16% of the people ...

. She is a member of the Deiboe tribe. Later, she would be registered with the

Anibare District Anibare is a district in the island nation Nauru, a part of the Anabar Constituency. It is Nauru's largest district in area, and the smallest in population. Geography It is located in the east of the island, and covers an area of . It has a po ...

. From 1990 to 1993, Jeremiah studied at the

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...

, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in business studies. She then attended

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

from 1995 to 1996, where she earned a graduate diploma in foreign affairs and trade with a focus on international affairs. She married Lynden Jeremiah of the

Meneng District Meneng (or Menen) is a district located in the Meneng Constituency in the country of Nauru. The constituency elects 2 members to the Parliament of Nauru in Yaren. Geography The district is located in the southeast of the island, covering an are ...

on 23 September 1995.

Career

Jeremiah served as director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Nauru from 1995 to 2001. In September 2004, Jeremiah was appointed as the

Pacific Islands Forum The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organisation that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 197 ...

's representative on Nauru. She served as Nauru's director of the Aid Management Unit at the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

from 2004 to 2009. In 2009, she was made vice consul at

Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. From 2010 to 2016, she was consul general. On 27 July 2016, Jeremiah presented her credentials to President

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...

as ambassador from Nauru to Taiwan. She served in this position until 2019. That year, she became Permanent Representative of Nauru to the

United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, ) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG administrative offices are located inside ...

. She served until 2021, when she became Nauru's Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She became Permanent Representative of Nauru to the United Nations Office at Geneva again in 2023, presenting her credentials to Director-General Tatiana Valovaya 14 March. On 17 October 2023, in addition to her UN post, she became the first Nauruan ambassador to Switzerland when she presented her credentials to President

Alain Berset Alain Berset (; born 9 April 1972) is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2012 to 2023. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), he headed the Federal Department of Home Affairs from when he too ...

. Following Nauru switching its recognition of Taiwan to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, Jeremiah became the first Nauruan ambassador to China. Jeremiah presented her credentials to

Hong Lei Hong Lei may refer to: * Hong Lei (artist) (born 1960) * Hong Lei (diplomat) (born 1969) {{hndis ...

on 11 September 2024. Jeremiah, along with several other ambassadors, had her credentials accepted by President

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

on 12 December.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeremiah, Chitra Living people 1971 births Ambassadors of Nauru to Taiwan Ambassadors of Nauru to China Ambassadors of Nauru to Switzerland Deiboe people Monash University alumni People from Denigomodu District Permanent representatives of Nauru to the United Nations in Geneva University of the South Pacific alumni Nauruan women ambassadors 21st-century Nauruan people