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The First Digital Nation
Agency The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song / Sydney + Collider / Sydney + Thrive PR + Communications / Sydney + MassiveMusic / Sydney
Category
Sustainable Development Goals
Annual ID
OS23_SD003M
About the Work
Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation, is facing an impossible challenge. At the current rate of global sea level rise, the entire country will be submerged in decades.
Tuvalu has been urging the world to act for years, but now, time has all but run out. As the ocean closes in, Tuvalu is forced to ask: What happens to a country without land?
In his speech at COP27, Minister Simon Kofe announced a radical plan for survival: Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation.
By recreating Tuvalu in the metaverse, piece-by-piece, the country can preserve its culture, history, and government services, long after its land disappears.
But the Digital Nation is more than just an archive. International law currently dictates that a country needs a “defined physical territory” to exist, so Tuvalu risks becoming the first country to lose its sovereignty due to climate change. The digital nation is at the centre of the fight for a new definition of statehood under international law, a way to protect Tuvalu’s sovereignty and place on the world stage.
The project’s launch reached 2.1b people and 173 major global publications, pressuring leaders into action. Days after the announcement, a historic loss and damage fund for nations like Tuvalu was established at COP27. Already, nine different nations have agreed to legally recognise Tuvalu’s digital statehood, making the project not just a tragic climate adaptation strategy, but a powerful provocation for global action.
Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation, but without meaningful climate action, it won’t be the last.
For Pacifika peoples, connection to physical land is everything. It is not just home. Land contains the ‘mana’ of the people, which means not just the memories of those who have lived before, but a vital spirit that lives in place. To be facing a reality with only a digital memory of it is a tragic and traumatic thing to contemplate. But one that Minister Kofe is mindful could help Tuvaluans maintain a connection to each other, should they be displaced and disconnected from the country they call home.
However, Minister Simon Kofe and his team are also adamant that Pacific nations should not be viewed solely as victims of climate change, they can be a powerful voice for change, to lead on matters of both mitigation and adaptation locally and globally.
A key value of Tuvaluan people is ‘Kaitasi’, or ‘what happens in one place affects another’. It’s for this reason that Minister Kofe has always aimed to appeal to the wider world for change, and not just those with decision making powers:
“We also see that culture and heritage have real value as tools to combat climate change.
We see our culture not just as something threatened by sea level rises, but as something that can persuade other countries to reduce their contribution to sea level rises.”
“We live with the realities of climate change, and have a responsibility to warn to forewarn the world as to what is coming ahead.”
Tuvalu has been urging the world to act for years, but now, time has all but run out. As the ocean closes in, Tuvalu is forced to ask: What happens to a country without land?
In his speech at COP27, Minister Simon Kofe announced a radical plan for survival: Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation.
By recreating Tuvalu in the metaverse, piece-by-piece, the country can preserve its culture, history, and government services, long after its land disappears.
But the Digital Nation is more than just an archive. International law currently dictates that a country needs a “defined physical territory” to exist, so Tuvalu risks becoming the first country to lose its sovereignty due to climate change. The digital nation is at the centre of the fight for a new definition of statehood under international law, a way to protect Tuvalu’s sovereignty and place on the world stage.
The project’s launch reached 2.1b people and 173 major global publications, pressuring leaders into action. Days after the announcement, a historic loss and damage fund for nations like Tuvalu was established at COP27. Already, nine different nations have agreed to legally recognise Tuvalu’s digital statehood, making the project not just a tragic climate adaptation strategy, but a powerful provocation for global action.
Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation, but without meaningful climate action, it won’t be the last.
For Pacifika peoples, connection to physical land is everything. It is not just home. Land contains the ‘mana’ of the people, which means not just the memories of those who have lived before, but a vital spirit that lives in place. To be facing a reality with only a digital memory of it is a tragic and traumatic thing to contemplate. But one that Minister Kofe is mindful could help Tuvaluans maintain a connection to each other, should they be displaced and disconnected from the country they call home.
However, Minister Simon Kofe and his team are also adamant that Pacific nations should not be viewed solely as victims of climate change, they can be a powerful voice for change, to lead on matters of both mitigation and adaptation locally and globally.
A key value of Tuvaluan people is ‘Kaitasi’, or ‘what happens in one place affects another’. It’s for this reason that Minister Kofe has always aimed to appeal to the wider world for change, and not just those with decision making powers:
“We also see that culture and heritage have real value as tools to combat climate change.
We see our culture not just as something threatened by sea level rises, but as something that can persuade other countries to reduce their contribution to sea level rises.”
“We live with the realities of climate change, and have a responsibility to warn to forewarn the world as to what is coming ahead.”
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song / Sydney
PR / Marketing Agency
Thrive PR + Communications / Sydney
Production Company
Collider / Sydney
Music / Sound Production Company
MassiveMusic / Sydney
Chief Creative Officer
Tara Ford
Composer
Haydn Walker
Creative Director
Cameron Bell
Sam Dickson
Director
Glenn Stewart
Executive Creative Director
Barbara Humphries
Executive Producer
Katrina Aquilia
Sound Designer
Simon Kane
Head of Production
Penny Brown
Senior Account Director
Nathan Mcgregor
Senior Art Director
Alex Polglase
Senior Copywriter
Jake Ausburn
3D Animation
Glenn Stewart
Account Coordinator
Sarah Nguyen
Sophie Thomason
Additional Vfx
Joseph Harper
CEO
Leliani Abels
Colourist
Matt Fezz
Digital Design Lead
Eva Godeny
Digital Producer
Tamera Wohl
EP/Producer
Karen Bryson
General Manager
Kezia Quinn
Group CEO & Co-Founder
Mark Green
Group Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder
Scott Nowell
GTM & Strategy Director, Sustainability Studio
Lucy Sundberg
Head of Innovation
Beth O'Brien
Head of Planning
Hugh Munro
Managing director
Rachael Ford-Davies
React Developer
Jasmine The
Steve Deng
Senior Account Executive
Maddy Beck
Senior Account Manager
Anna Laskaris
Tess Mcdonald
Sound House Creative Director
Ryan Dickinson
Tech Lead
Surya Winata
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