Sir Tofiga Vaevalu Falani is a Tuvaluan religious minister who has served as Governor-General of Tuvalu since 2021 and the president of the Church of Tuvalu since 2008. In his capacity as church president, he has represented the church at meetings of the Central Committee of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

in 2009 and 2011.

Governor-General of Tuvalu

In September 2021, Falani was appointed Governor-General of Tuvalu by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. As governor-general, Falani represents the reigning monarch of Tuvalu in the country, acting as

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

for Tuvalu. Falani previously served as the acting governor-general on 14 August 2017 during the absence of Sir Iakoba Italeli.

Honours

Falani was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two 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

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in the 2022 Special Honours.

References

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