Eselealofa Apinelu

Dr Eselealofa 'Ese' Apinelu is a Tuvaluan lawyer and sports official. Apinelu attended The Cathedral School, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.^[1] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania in 1998.^[2] She is Tuvalu's first female lawyer.^[3] Eselealofa holds a Professional Diploma in Legislative Drafting from the University of South Pacific. In 2022 she was awarded a PhD from Swinburne University’s Centre for Urban Transition. Her research focused on customary and human rights in post-colonial Tuvalu with a particular focus on the disconnection between individual and collective rights in Tuvalu’s development agendas.^[4]

Dr. Eselealofa Apinelu
Apinelu in 2019
High Commissioner to Fiji
Incumbent
Assumed office 2022
Preceded by	Temate Melitiana
Attorney General of Tuvalu
In office 2008–2022
Preceded by	Iakoba Italeli
Succeeded by	Laingane Italeli Talia
Personal details
Alma mater	University of Tasmania University of South Pacific Swinburne University

Career

Apinelu was the senior crown counsel in Tuvalu from 2003–06. She was appointed as the Acting Attorney General of Tuvalu in 2006. In 2008, Apinelu became the first female appointed as the Attorney General of Tuvalu.^{[3][5][6][7][8]} In 2012, she became the first female Executive Member of the South Pacific Lawyers' Association (SPLA) and the Chair of the SPLA Women in the Law Committee.^[9][10]

On 14 September 2022 she became Tuvalu's High Commissioner to Fiji.^[11]

Sports administrator

She was also President of the Tuvalu Volleyball Federation,^[12] and was the manager of Tuvalu's volleyball team at the 2003 South Pacific Games.^[13] She was the President of the Tuvalu Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (TASNOC) from 2013 to 2015.^[14][15]

See also

• List of first women lawyers and judges in Oceania

References

1. "Education (General Provisions) (Approval of Enrolment) (No. 1)" (PDF). The State of Queensland. 1993. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
2. "University of Tasmania" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
3. "Tuvalu's first female lawyer, Ese Apinelu reflects on IWD2019". globalalumni.gov.au. May 6, 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
4. Apinelu, Eselealofa (2022). "Standing Under Fenua: Customary Rights and Human Rights in Postcolonial Tuvalu" (PDF). A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne University of Technology. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
5. "Human Rights Council: Third Universal Periodic Review", UNHCR, December 2008
6. "Tuvalu commits to human rights", Pacific Law Database, December 16, 2008
7. "Human Rights Council adopted the UPR outcomes of Tuvalu". United Nations Information Centre Canberra. 20 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
8. "MARINE RESOURCES ACT 2006" (PDF).
9. "Inaugural AGM - Meet the new SPLA Executive". NewSPLAsh: 4. September 2011.
10. "NewSPLAsh" (PDF). South Pacific Lawyers' Association. October 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
11. Shepherd, Tory (30 September 2022). "Could a digital twin of Tuvalu preserve the island nation before it's lost to the collapsing climate?". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
12. "Oceania Asia Zonal Association" Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, Asian Volleyball Confederation
13. ""2003 South Pacific Games – Volleyball"". Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
14. "Directory 2013" (PDF). Pacific Games Council. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
15. Taumaheke, Kuata (9 March 2015). "TASNOC is under new leadership" (PDF). Fenui News. Retrieved 12 June 2015.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Temate Melitiana	High Commissioner to Fiji 2022 - present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Iakoba Italeli	Attorney-General of Tuvalu 2008 - 2022	Succeeded by Laingane Italeli Talia