Vanuatu

21st century

19 entries, 2020 CE to 2025 CE

• 202018 September – Opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu warns about the sale of honorary Vanuatuan citizenship to potential international criminals and people stripped of other nationalities for nefarious activities. The government says it has stopped selling its citizenship but promises further investigation into the matter.Vanuatusource
• 202026 March – President Tallis Obed Moses declared a state of emergency in the country after a tourist on a cruise ship visiting the island of Aneityum had tested positive for the virus.Vanuatusource
• 202010 September – It is announced that former Prime Minister Charlot Salwai is set to stand trial for November 23, charged with ten counts of bribery and corruption.Vanuatusource
• 20204 December – Vanuatu officially graduates from the United Nations official list of Least Developed Countries (LDC) becoming the sixth nation to ever do so. The UN Committee for Development Policy recommended for Vanuatu for graduation in 2012. In 2012, the Economic and Social Council and in 2013 the General Assembly approved the recommendation, however after Cyclone Pam, the country was granted an extension until 2020.Vanuatusource
• 202025 April – The country announced that it would be scheduling their Women's Super League cricket final on Saturday and streaming it live on social media.Vanuatusource
• 2021June 29 – Prime Minister Bob Loughman wins a confidence vote by the parliament after a no-confidence motion had been introduced to remove his government by opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu. However, Loughman's hold on power remains tenuous as the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the seats of 19 government MPs were to be declared vacant. Loughman's government has already appealed the ruling.Vanuatusource
• 2021August 12 – Vanuatu stops the sale of its citizenship and revokes the citizenship it gave last April to a Syrian national for US$130,000.Vanuatusource
• 2021November 8 – Vanuatuan prime minister Bob Loughman confirms that two Vanuatuan citizens who were repatriated from New Caledonia have the Delta variant and urges residents to get vaccinated.Vanuatusource
• 2021January 29 – A Vanuatu patrol boat detains two Chinese fishing vessels near the Torres Islands in the Coral Sea for suspected illegal fishing.Vanuatusource
• 2021September 25 – Vanuatu launches a global campaign to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Vanuatu bases its decision on being incapable with its own decisions to address rising sea levels and other challenges linked to climate change and wants the ICJ to establish responsibilities for climate change under international law.Vanuatusource
• 2021Vanuatu at the 2020 Summer OlympicsVanuatusource
• 202213 October – 2022 Vanuatuan general election: Vanuatuans vote for the members of their parliament in a snap election.Vanuatusource
• 20222022 Vanuatuan general electionVanuatusource
• 202218 August – An explosion destroyed a barge at Southwest Bay on the island of Malekula.Vanuatusource
• 20235 January – Sato Kilman orders an investigation into the Vanuatu People's Investment and Equity Fund after failing to deliver on promised financial returns.Vanuatusource
• 20238 January – A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes offshore near Sanma, Vanuatu.Vanuatusource
• 202423 July: Vanuatu leads a diplomatic effort at the International Court of Justice to rule that states must protect human rights and phase out fossil fuels to address climate change.Vanuatusource
• 202410 May: Air Vanuatu, the country's flag carrier, is voluntarily placed in liquidation by the Government of Vanuatu.Vanuatusource
• 202523 July: The International Court of Justice, acting on a case led by Vanuatu, rules that climate change is an "existential threat" and that countries failing to meet their climate obligations could be in breach of international law and liable to reparations claims by affected countries.Vanuatusource