New York: Nauru has restored its traditional name, Naoero, in a move the South Pacific island nation's President David Adeang said was aimed at reclaiming its heritage and affirming its national identity.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Adeang said the country had long been known internationally as Nauru, a name that did not reflect what its people used among themselves.
“For many years, the world has known our country as Nauru. Nauru is how our name sounded to those who found it hard to say, and the world kept it,” Adeang said. “But it is not the name our people used among themselves.”
“There are moments in the life of a nation when its people are called to remember who they have always been,” he said. “This is such a moment for us.”
Nauru, an eight-square-mile island with about 12,000 people, became independent in 1968 after decades of colonial rule under the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Germany. It announced the renaming in August after signalling its intent in February.
The country's international code is changing from NRU to NRO, while its people will be known as dei-Naoero instead of Nauruan. The name Naoero is pronounced differently from the commonly used pronunciation of Nauru.
Adeang said the change was not intended to erase the country's past but to restore a name connected to its ancestors, language and identity.
“We do not make this choice to erase our past. We make it because we honor it,” he said. “That name carries the memory of our ancestors, our language, and our identity. It has been there all along. Never lost, never absent. Today, we restore Naoero.”
Other countries have also changed or officially altered their names over the years, including Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Türkiye.
Adeang concluded his address, which also focused on issues including rising seas and economic challenges, with three words: “Say our name.”