Embassies

Kiribati maintains close relations with its Pacific neighbours, including Australia and New Zealand, and is an active member of the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional organisations. In addition to this, Australia and New Zealand also provide defence assistance to Kiribati, for it has no native military force. It has been a member of the Commonwealth since independence, Kiribati became a member of the United Nations on 14 September 1999. Kiribati generally encourages foreign investment, and there is no known discrimination between foreign and native investors.

There are only four foreign missions in Kiribati. These are the Australian High Commission, the Cuban Embassy, the New Zealand High Commission and the embassy of Taiwan. The New Zealand High Commission acts as a conduit for trade and investment, assists resident New Zealanders, provides visas for the I-Kiribati to visit the country, organises student exchange schemes and further bilateral arrangements between the two countries. It also helps to co-ordinate New Zealand’s aid efforts in the country, which focuses on public sector performance, urban development and workforce skills.

Kiribati operates one overseas diplomatic mission, its High Commission in Suva, as well as Honourary Consulates in Sydney, Rhydderch (UK), Honolulu, Tokyo, Hamburg, Auckland and Hong Kong. The honoury consulates act as informal links between the countries, and often specialise in business related matters and  they usually have contacts with key figures and civil servants in the host government. The two nations of Fiji and Kiribati have signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’, which includes working closer together on areas such as trade, education, labour mobility, immigration, health and fisheries co-operation.